Pinokyouya and the Golden Haired Prince

by IDespiseTragedy

In which Hibird was being naughty, educating Enzo's youngling with a d18/18d shounen-ai version of Pinocchio

Title: Pinokyouya and the Golden-Haired Prince

Disclaimer: neither Katekyo Hitman Reborn! nor Pinocchio is mine; the song lyrics were adapted from the Namimori Anthem (with the 'Middle School' bit was omitted).

Warning: (obviously) mushy anachronistic medieval fairy-tale AU of Dino and Hibari in OC world presented in florid diction

Summary: In which Hibird is being naughty, educating Enzo's little son with a shounen-ai version of Pinocchio

Credits:

Thank you for the following users

selenas_magick, for such devoted beta reading

thecandystand, whose awesome icon inspired this fanfic

jusrecht, for introducing the icon in her LJ account

Author's Notes:

I use British English for this particular fanfic (hence, 'realised' instead of 'realized' and 'enquired' instead of 'inquired').

Um, I don't know whether it is possible for a turtle to get diarrhoea; forgive me…

The timeline of the fairy tale is the end of 14th-century.

Glossary:

Pino = pine (Italian)

Courtepy = very short, hip belted tunic

Puer mihi = my boy (Latin)

Houppelande= a voluminous gown worn by men and women from late 14th-century onwards

Dapifer= a servant who brings the meat to the table

Wherefore = why

Enow = enough

Privily = confidentially or in secret

Prithee = please; a corruption of pray thee

Chapman = an itinerant pedlar

Travail = work hard (in the context below)

Rede = give an interpretation or explanation to

Amain= at full speed (in the context below)

Crenelation = a notched battlement made up of alternate crenels (openings) and merlons (square sawteeth)

Murder holes = holes in the ceilings of castle gateways, barbicans or passageways through which heavy missiles or dangerous substances such as heavy stones, hot sand, molten lead, boiling water and boiling tar or pitch could be thrown on enemy soldiers.

Hauberk = a shirt of mail armour

Garderobe = the toilet in a medieval castle, usually located near to the bedchambers as well as in a separate latrine tower; straw serves as toilet paper

Acater = a food provisioner

Costermonger = a fruit seller

Clouter= one who fixes things, a tinkerer

Arkwright = a maker of 'arks'—wooden chests or coffers

Amigaut = a slit at neck of garments for ease of donning

Wit—wist—wot = know—knew—known

Soever = in any way

Pater sancte in caeli altissimo = Holy Father in the highest heaven (Latin)

In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti = the Trinitarian formula: 'in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit' (Latin)

Uncarnate = not fleshly or of flesh

The other foreign words are either followed or preceded by immediate translation (e.g. c'era una volta = once upon a time)

---

One Monday morning, while Don Cavallone X and Vongola Cloud Guardian were busy preparing the food for their eleventh anniversary, out of pure curiosity, Enzo took a bite of the natto on the breakfast table. Shortly after, a strange sensation filled his stomach, as whatever he consumed subsequently came out from both ends. Dino, who was staying at Hibari's, took him to a local vet, while the Japanese just happened to hold a 'disciplinary inspection' on the same building, same floor, same room, same time.

That left Hibird to babysit Enzo's little son at home. The green turtle was his father in miniature, save for the paler colour of his complexion, which he inherited from his late mother.

"Is daddy going to be all right, Uncle Hibird?"

"Yes, I'm sure he will be fine. Your dad's one tough turtle; neither gastroenteritis nor botulism is going to beat him. Now why don't you take a nap while waiting for his return?"

"But dad always tells me bedtime stories; I can't sleep without one."

"Stories, eh?" replied the fluffy bird, "No problem, junior. I'll narrate today's fairy tale."

He began, "C'era una volta…

Once upon a time, deep in the forest, where the trees were as green as emerald and the ground as black as obsidian, there lived a man called Geppetto. A skilful but poor carpenter, his residence was a humble hut made of wood, with a roof of thatched straw. In that epoch, it was rare for those other than noblemen, scholars and those who were raised in monasteries to be literate. However, unlike most other carpenters, Geppetto devoted himself to scrolls and manuscripts of blueprints of high architecture far and near, for he did not come from a lowly background: he was the son of an architect and had formerly been the chief joiner of a marquess erstwhile, until one of his fellow workers grew jealous of his success and accused him of theft. Since that day the disgraced Geppetto left the nobleman's mansion, Luck had seemingly turned her back on him.

No longer able to bear the fatigue of work and having no heir to comfort him in his old age, he made a wish upon a star one wintry night, when the wind was bleakest, that he might be delivered with a child. Only seconds afterwards, an infant fairy with curly sideburns appeared on his windowsill.

'Ciaossu!' he greeted the grey-haired man, who was, apparently, too astounded to reply. 'Congratulations, for your wish has come true. Lo and behold!' He pointed in a wooden puppet at the corner of the room.

Even though the aged carpenter nodded, he wist not what the little fairy wanted him to do with it. The puppet was his greatest masterpiece, which he had carved with his heart and soul, using all of his knowledge of a faraway land called Japan. He made sure this masterpiece did not look like any other Italian pine puppet, but endowed him with oriental features. He had even granted this puppet a Japanese name: Hibari Kyouya.

'I shall give him the opportunity to live for one year,' the baby fairy continued, 'If he can learn to love more dearly than life itself and be loved equally in return, he will transform into a human being; otherwise, he will revert to his current state—an inanimate wooden puppet. However, each time he tells a lie, his nose will elongate.'

With these words, the fairy tugged a green chameleon from his hat, which, in turn, transformed into a bow and an arrow. Without further ado, he shot the arrow at the pine puppet. Peculiarly, the arrow either buried itself wholly into the wood or dissipated into the air upon contact with it—Geppetto could not tell which.

At first, nothing seemed to change. But then, the wooden figure began to blink his eyes and tentatively moved his fingers: Hibari Kyouya had come to life!

Exultant, the old Geppetto leapt to hug his new 'son'. Much to his dismay, however, Hibari did not allow himself to be hugged. With a deadly glare, he hissed, 'I shall bite you to death!'

Geppetto drew back in fear, for indeed, he had been engraving the stoicism of the Japanese samurai onto the personality of Hibari. Had he known result would be, certes he would not have done so! The grey-haired man turned to face the fairy once more, hoping to acquire his aid, but the mysterious creature had vanished.

Oh, well! The wizened man sighed. The next moment, however, he heard Hibari sneezing. He had only habilitated the puppet with some basic raiment, unfit for the harsh winter weather. Therefore, he removed the coat that draped his body—the only coat in his possession—and covered his son with it.

Hibari only looked at him in silence, acutely studying everything that was transpiring. He could accept the logic that while used to cover the skin, a sheet of fabric could warm him, and that after his self-proclaimed father threw a log of wood into the fireplace, the small hut became warmer. He also learnt that fire burned, although he learnt this the hard way: he was fascinated by the flame and touched it when his father was not looking. His fingers were still scorched black even after Geppetto had frantically dipped them into a bucket of water.

Nevertheless, Hibari could not understand why when the aged carpenter became more concerned about the wellbeing of the wooden puppet than his old self, he felt another type of warmth. Unlike the other warmth which covered him only on the surface, this warmth came from the inside of him instead. He asked Geppetto about it and the old man smiled, explaining that Hibari was experiencing a feeling and that different types of feelings existed in this world.

Little by little, day by day, Geppetto taught Hibari about human's way of life, such as when to say 'greetings' and 'thank you' as well as the types of herbal leaves they ought to chew to maintain their dental hygiene. One day, after the winter broke into spring, the elderly carpenter took his son deeper in the forest to cut down some wood for his working material. Hibari watched how Geppetto swung his axe with full attention. After the old man finished with one tree, the young one volunteered to do the rest.

Hibari proved to be a very adept worker. It took him less than five minutes to cut down his first tree and even less time to deal with the next ones. Geppetto appreciated his son's skill, but he was somewhat frightened by the lethal nature of it. Rather than letting him handle a metal axe like this, I will make him a pair of wooden tonfas as soon as we reach home, he made a mental note. 'Enow, son; any more than these, the forest shall be endangered.'

Hibari obeyed him at once, just as Japanese samurai offered absolute obedience to their lords. As he gathered the timber afterwards, he noticed a small yellow bird chirping in agony. A log that Hibari had cut down earlier covered the tip of its pinion. The living wooden puppet picked up the injured bird and brought it to his father's gabled hut.

The old man was pleased when he realised that his son now was cognisant of guilt, pity and affection, and he let the boy keep the bird as a pet. Hibari named his bird 'Hibird.' Every day Hibird sang about the forest they inhabited, which Hibari called 'Namimori' or 'Common Forest.' Only to Hibird alone would Hibari lose his stoic composure and show his smile.

Meanwhile, in a castle, not too far from the forest, there lived a prince who was adored by all of his subjects since he was kind, charming and amiable to lords and peasants alike. Rumour had it that his golden hair and sublime smile could cure even the severest of ailments.

One day, while hunting, the prince found himself separated from the rest of the group and became lost in the woods. He went deeper into the clump of trees, desperately trying to find any of his companions, but to no avail. Contrary to the popular beliefs, the prince could only be a highly skilled individual when his subordinates were around; at any other times, his personality changed into that of an absolute dullard.

Amidst the rustles of the wind that whispered softly among the foliages, the winsome prince heard a euphonious voice singing.

'Green lingers on at Namimori

Not big, not small, ordinary is good

Forever unchanging

Healthy and admirable

Aah, let's sing together

Namimori.'

The prince walked further and found a fluffy yellow bird hidden amongst the bushes. 'Hello there. What an adorable little bird you are!' Awed by the bird's melodious chants, the prince extended his hand, expecting the sweet creature to perch on his finger, but it flew onto his head instead.

At first, the prince was blissfully ignorant of the bird's activity; but then, feeling a warm, gooey substance dripping on his hair, he began to realise that the bird had indeed been using his head as a latrine!

Instinctively, the prince let out an affright shriek. He was not angry at the bird—a gentle soul as he was—but his inbred standards of hygiene were affronted by such avian scat. The bird mistook the prince's demeanour for anger and took flight forthwith.

'Oh wait, I shall harm you not! I was merely surprised. Come unto me, little bird!'

Nonetheless, the bird continued his flight. On and on, through the trees, the chase persisted. While the little bird fluttered through the trees with scarcely a hindrance, the clumsy prince received countless cuts and scrapes from many a tree branch he had passed. His courtepy of finest materials had been torn on several places. His pursuit was not fruitless—it brought the prince to witness the wonder of his life: a living puppet!

With the swift swings of his tonfas, the puppet of extraordinary craftsmanship cut some wood from the surrounding trees. Seconds later, the timber fell upon the dark soil, one after another. Afterwards, the yellow bird flew towards the wooden puppet and when it perched on his finger, he smiled. The light of stars glimmered in the depth of his dark eyes as he did so.

The sight of an animate puppet in the absence of strings and even a puppeteer alone was enough to make anyone gape in amazement. However, the prince felt a shiver creep down his spine at the sight of such a puppet with radiant sunbeams all around him, the gentle waft of the breeze on his hair and the musical chirrup of a bird and the fluttering verdant trees as his background, however, made the prince shiver. That day, the heir to the Cavallone throne learnt that not all angels were dressed in white, wearing golden halos and clad with wings.

A work divine!

Clumsy though he was at present, the brown-eyed prince did not fail to discern an unknown sharpness piercing inside him making his heart skip a beat. Even when he thought he could breathe normally evermore, his life could indisputably never be the same henceforth. He had developed certain dependence—an addiction—to the figure afore him: when they were apart, he would verily miss the wooden puppet at his side.

'State your business, stranger!' A laconic voice tore out from the living puppet's mouth.

The prince was at a loss for words, perplexed by the new sentiment which had never before visited him during the twenty-two years in his life. Even when the pair of tonfas approached his throat, he could only stammer, 'I-I am lost.'

After inspecting this intruder, whose habiliment was tattered, whose body was covered in scratches and whose head was topped with Hibird's excretion, Hibari said, 'It seems my bird has wronged you. Come to my hut and cleanse yourself thither!'

The prince could not help but gawk. All his life, nobody had ever commanded him in this way. Even his own parents, the king and queen of Tuscany, would use a more elegant tone while speaking to him. And yet, this puppet's words captivated him like an invisible bridle. No longer was he a fierce steed for jousting, but a tamed stallion for carriage drawing. He even proposed, 'May I offer you assistance in carrying those logs?'

'I am capable of carrying them on my own.'

Silently, obediently, slavishly, obsequiously, the prince fain walked behind the puppet, following him home. The more minutes passed by, the more the prince wondered why he had never realised that the forest—or, rather, the contents of the forest—was this enchanting.

'O wooden puppet, if it pleases you, tell me your name, I pray.'

'Hibari Kyouya.' Came the terse answer.

Hibari Kyouya. The name resounded and reverberated so mellifluously in the prince's mind, captivating him in a world of delirium where only the name of Hibari Kyouya existed.

When they reached Geppetto's threshold, the wizened man frantically bowed to the prince, imploring the latter to forgive the puppet's impudence. Predictably, the prince pardoned them with a gracious smile, and, after cleansing himself, joined the other two in spending the afternoon in amiable conversation. The poor carpenter could only provide him with a piece of stale bread and a goblet of water, but the prince of the land was more than contented to accept the old man's sincere hospitality.

Examining the wooden goblet in his hand, the prince remarked, 'What a meticulous carving! Is this the fruit of your craftsmanship?'

When the greying old man nodded, the prince enquired again, 'Likewise with this house and its furniture?'

The carpenter nodded for the second time.

'What about Kyouya?'

'Your Highness, my carpentry did not extend that far. I only carved his inanimate frame, but the life within Hibari Kyouya was the gift from a fairy who appeared at this very window one wintry night.'

The prince's eyes gleamed with enormous interest when Geppetto mentioned the word 'fairy,' but he chose not to interrupt the old man. Thus, the carpenter continued, 'I solemnly swear by the immeasurable vault of the empyrean and by the unfathomable depth of the ocean that I do have faith in the Heavenly Father and never practiced wizardry all my life. Hibari Kyouya was by no means a result of dark magic. I am not telling you any falsehood about the fairy, although you may find it incredulous.'

Even if he were, the prince told his inner self, I cannot deny that my feelings for him wouldn't change. 'No, I believe you. My duelling tutor was also a fairy, a baby fairy.'

'My, what a coincidence! The fairy who breathed life into Kyouya was a baby too,' replied the old carpenter.

There was no need for the prince to ask whether the pine puppet could also digest and excrete, for Hibari sat and ate with them. The happiness, however, did not last for long. Soon, some palatial guards came knocking on the door in search of their missing prince. After bidding farewell, the prince returned to the castle where he belonged, escorted by the guards.

To Geppetto's surprise, however, Hibari growled a few minutes after the prince was gone. 'He stole something!'

'Now son, His Highness Prince Dino has a far more comfortable living than us; he wouldn't want to take anything from this meagre household.'

'He took a part of me with him…,' Hibari restated his answer, '… something inside.'

'What are you saying, son? Did he leave a cavity in your wooden flesh … or even chop it?' Geppetto sounded more apprehensive now; after all, the prince had shown interest towards the animate wooden puppet and Hibari's nose did not lengthen when he expressed his concern.

Shaking his head, Hibari clutched his chest. 'As soon as he was gone, something began ebbing away from here.'

It took quite a while for the wizened man to finally grasp the matter. Even so, he found it hardly believable for his postulation to be true. Prince Dino might be the one who lived in a castle, but it was Hibari who possessed a castellated heart.

Gainsaying his son's feelings Geppetto asked, 'You miss him already, lad?'

'How would I know? Never before have I missed anyone,' his son answered truthfully; Hibird and Geppetto hardly parted with him, and he knew no one else.

'Well, do you have a preference as to whether Prince Dino is here or not?' The old man asked again.

'No.' The answer lashed out of Hibari's mouth as firm as could be, and this time, his nose of pine increased in length—so long was the nose that it provided plenty of room for Hibird to perch on it.

The puppet gritted his teeth in frustration. His cheeks suffused with darker hue, as though they were made of mahogany while the rest of his body was of pine. At last, he admitted defeat. 'Yes.'

Only then did the overgrown nose return to its original state.

Stroking his gray beard, softly the aged carpenter counselled his son, 'O hapless victim of love, alas! Life is not always filled with joy. There are times when one must endure the hardship. He is well beyond your reach. The both of you are males, yea, and a prince also ought to marry a princess. Love can thrive faster than any plant on earth even without nourishment, but it can also vanish faster than curling smoke. 'Tis all woe now—a broken heart must be devastating—but further pining for him will only lead to greater grief and you will forget him by and by.

Time heals all wounds. Il tempo guarisce tutti i mali.'

###

That evening, the royal family feasted on hare stew dinner in the castle hall. These were the hares caught in the hunt earlier that afternoon, wherewith the pretermitted prince contributed none. On the other side of the table was a juggler, who, having earned much applause, retired with a bow. A troubadour singing his minstrelsy to his own lute accompaniment immediately substituted him.

All the din of revel from the discourses and merry-making around the long dining table sounded like foreign noises from the outer world to Prince Dino's ears. In that feast, no matter how many matters he had to attend, no matter how many words he had to enunciate, his heart remained unswervingly true to one Hibari Kyouya.

After the encounter with Hibari, no matter how hard he strove to purge the figure from his mind, the more unforgettable the wooden puppet became. The prince was drowned in some unknown fervour of which Hibari Kyouya alone held the antidote, and without which, the poor soul could no longer return to his former self. The tonfa-wielding pine puppet existed in every passage he passed, in every deed he performed, in every matter he thought, in every whit of existence within him.

'What manner of crestfallenness is this, son?' asked his mother the queen.

When he said that nothing troubled him in order to keep his feelings privily, his mother uttered thus, 'Be in a good cheer! Princess Rosalinda of the White Hand is trothed to you and pay a visit to Naples you shall.'

It was, of course, not uncommon for a royalty to have an arranged marriage, and verily, he had seen this coming erstwhile, but not now—not when the heart within his body no longer belonged to him.

Not failing to perceive the aghast look in her son's countenance, the queen of the land voiced her concern, 'Let no worry weigh your mind, o son of mine. You have seen her portrait and no other princess will make a better match for you.'

Nevertheless, with light of joy dimming from his eyes, the golden-haired prince gave his answer, 'I will marry her and spend the rest of my life with her. Through ages, senescent will she grow with me; therefore, make me not spend my time with her now, my dear queenly mother. Just … allow me to enjoy the little time left on my own afore that holy matrimony. I beseech you.'

Would that his mother's feeling had been as delicate as the fur on her houppelande! The queen seemed to accept his point—for mere twelve seconds. Next, she said, 'Nay, puer mihi, wherefore are you so reluctant? Princess Rosalinda of Naples is charming, virtuous and well-bred, methinks, not to mention that she has come from an august lineage, as well. No daughter of Earth can her pulchritude excel; she is but the veriest of beauties, the fairest nubile maiden of all the lands, is she not? What else is there in a woman that a man can ask for?'

O Fate, you granted me the highest possible joy by allowing me to meet Kyouya, and yet you tore my heart asunder in the same day!

Feigning indisposition, Prince Dino abandoned his viand and excused himself from the dining table—much to Lord Chamberlain Romario's pity. In his hurry, he nearly knocked the tray ladened with rosemary-bedecked baked swan from a passing dapifer's hand.

Walking under the numerous segmental arches of the corridor, Prince Dino retired into his chamber, where he found solace in the shadow of his bed canopy. Outside his window, the stars were twinkling in the welkin in peace; none of his mundane turmoil affected them. From the limited view of his current position, the formation of the constellations reminded him of a wheel.

O Fortune, whose wheel is capriciously ever-changing, even though you gambol with the lives of the wights, including mine, may you not be so cruel towards Kyouya.

###

Back at the hut, Geppetto was troubled by his son's absence. His dwelling was so small that he could normally detect anyone within a single sweep of glance, but tonight, neither the pine puppet nor his bird was anywhere to be found.

Taking a lantern with him, the old carpenter headed for the castle, making haste with his every step, onerous as it was for a man of his age. If he were quick enough, he might be able to stop his son from invading the castle uninvited; after all, his son was not acquainted with the way to the castle.

Direction to the castle, nevertheless, was not the only thing beyond the wooden puppet's knowledge. He did not even know what a castle was supposed to look like. The skylark did notice a lofty edifice in the far background west to the forest, but, trowing it had nothing to do with Dino, chose to ignore it and advanced northbound instead.

Hence, when Geppetto arrived at the castle, having endured his backache, and asked around about a passing wooden puppet, the guards insinuated him a mad mendicant and sent him home empty handed. Groaning, the old man lamented, 'O Pino Kyouya, o fluffy bird, whither go you?'

Hibari and Hibird, in the mean time, marvelled at the rural life. Why were there so many humans? Why did these humans need to have houses that were much, much larger than their own bodies—Geppetto's hut was small, yet it was enough to contain the carpenter, himself, Hibird and even the visiting Dino? Furthermore, why did the roads need smoothening? And why did the people he passed look at him as though he had been an extraordinary occurrence?

At length, they arrived at a vineyard. They came across some labourers among the rows of grapes and addressed them in salutation, 'Grape pressers, wit you where the castle abides?'

Deeming this stranger—the animate puppet upon whose shoulder a small yellow bird perched—to be some malefic work of sorcery, the grape pressers lay their hands on the nearest hoes and forks and besieged him—only to find themselves cast to the ground with tonfa bruises in mere minutes.

Peculiar, Hibari ruminated as he exited the vineyard, the old man and that herbivorous prince do encourage politeness, but why are these people bothered by my greeting? Mayhap these are the villainous type that the old man oft talked about.

Thus, Hibari Kyouya came to develop a certain dislike of crowds.

Next, the puppet and his bird arrived at a mill where a weather-cock, perching upon his spindle neck to tell which way the wind blew, was attached to its roof. There, seeing the miller coming out of a house with a watermill attached to its side, heaving two sacks of flour on his shoulder, Hibari enquired, 'Miller, wit you where the castle abides?'

Suspecting Hibari to be some pagan deity who loved to fashion evil, the timid man forsook his sacks of flour and ran or his life, crying in his flight, 'I'm a devout believer of the Lord; spare me prithee!'

Hibari had no clue as to what betided; however, realising that he had to find someone else to ask for the castle's direction, he, too, took his leave therewith.

Further down the thoroughfare, the skylark then descried a chapman travailing in his travel and made his enquiry, 'Chapman, wit you where the castle abides?'

The chapman had travelled far and wide and seen many wonders in his life, but none of which was quite as wondrous as an animate puppet with no string or puppeteer. Hence, hoping to sell this unique thing at a high price, the cunning man tricked Hibari, 'I am on my way to the castle myself; come with me.'

Thus, the pine puppet let the itinerant pedlar lead him into an aristocrat's dwelling. This baron was by nature vile and ennobled but by name, but a regular customer of the pedlar; he would not think twice to pay a large sum of gold for a truly rare item.

'You wait here,' the chapman told Hibari at the mansion gate, 'I must fare business with the lord of the castle.'

'I am also seeking for the lord of the castle,' retorted the puppet, taking the first step to follow the charlatan into the mansion.

'Hark lad, as guests in this place, we ought to behave as such. Why don't you and your little bird wait here while I announce our arrival to the guard, eh?' Without waiting for Hibari's consent, the pedlar approached the gatekeeper.

The boy did not wait for his travel companion's return. Instead, he explored the precinct. He checked every tree in the garden, every stall in the stable and every cupboard in the kitchen. Still, Dino Cavallone was nowhere to be found.

Meanwhile, his action of trespassing upon the mansion had caused quite a ruckus. Guards came from nearly every corner of the precinct to capture him—a futile attempt! More and more victims fell under Hibari's wooden tonfas. At length, the butler hurried to bid his master to escape: the wild puppet's strength was too much for them to handle.

The master and mistress of the house, however, did not wish their conversation with the pedlar to be disturbed, unaware that the living puppet in question was running amuck, destroying his property: the guards that Hibari threw out of his way fell upon the china, sculptures, paintings and all sorts of other fineries within the mansion.

The deceitful pedlar blanched upon seeing Hibari, along with Hibird, bursting into the room where he and his patron were conversing. Even more blood drained from his face as his prospective customer's wife fainted when she saw one of the guards that Hibari pushed away tearing her favourite tapestry. He was consumed with the regret of ever embarking in the business of selling this uncontrollably wild puppet.

'Is this the thing that you spoke of earlier?' The baron asked with utmost indignation.

'Your Excellency, I beg you, allow me to rede…'

Hibari, however, did not stay in that room long enough to hear the chapman's full reply; there were still other rooms to peruse. What put an end to Hibari's rampage—at last—was the very mention of Dino's name from outside the window.

After sounding his trumpet at the village square, ensuring the attentiveness of the passers-by, a herald announced, 'Lo! All ye who bide upon the shores of Italy, hearken: let it be known throughout the land that His Royal Highness Prince Dino Enzo Scuderia Ferrari Alfredo Vittorio Jano "Cavallino Rampante" Cavallone will join Her Highness Princess Rosalinda of the White Hand in marriage. Six days from now, come to the castle for the wedding ball, ye lords and peasants!'

Hibari had never expected Dino to have such a long name, but the banner that hung from the herald's trumpet unmistakably bore the coat of arm of a golden prancing horse similar to the one on the prince's brooch. Hence, he came into conclusion that by following that herald, he would find Dino. This time, the puppet chose wisely to tail the royal messenger stealthily so as not to create a stampede. Thus, Hibari detached one of the hanging tapestries and draped it around himself like a hooded cape, and then walked with his back bent several metres behind the royal herald.

Earlier, on the way to the baron's mansion, Hibari noticed a leper dighted in such a fashion. Incognisant though he was about the leper's condition and the real reason for people on the street to shun him away, Hibari bethought him that if those humans restrained themselves from questioning him, his journey could remain untroubled. His intuition proved to be correct; nothing impeded him for the rest of the journey.

It pleased God at length to satisfy his wish. The castle he was seeking for lay afore him. There, above the moat, a magnificent lofty castle stood erect. Its merlon-crowned ochre bulwark abode under the sky's absolute realm, beauteous and opulent.

On the castle gate, the guards let the herald in, but not Hibari, naturally. One of the sentries uttered in disgust, 'Stay away, leper!'

'What does "leper" mean?' enquired Hibari.

'No use in assuming that artlessness, you … you, source of uncleanliness!' With that, he pointed his halberd towards the hooded figure.

Sensing the threat of danger, Hibird took wing to the top of the castle crenelation whereas his master snapped the handle of the soldier's halberd amain. Its owner let out an upset squall, sending ten other castle guards rush to the scene thenceforward.

Albeit clad in mail hauberk, these guards were powerless against the ferocious armourless puppet. Their brandished swords and halberd of iron posed no threat to his tonfas of wood. Soon, the ten multiplied into twenty, and then into fifty. Nevertheless, the increase in number did not change their inferiority to the trespasser whose movements employed no ruse.

Hibird, meanwhile, soon found that the crenelation was no longer a safe harbour to watch his master's combat. An embonpoint castle guard attempted to catch him from behind, drooling as he fumbled. Flying to escape from the grasp of doom, the yellow bird heard, 'Wait, my dinner!'

Hibari's bird encountered no luck in his flight. First, he perched at one of the murder holes of the barbican. From it, he perceived that some soldiers were aiming to pelt rocks at Hibari, but calculating the best angles so as not to hurt their own comrades who were battling the monster. Flying away, Hibird chirped his forewarning, and thence Hibari had crushed the rocks with his tonfa before they fell upon him.

Assuming that someone of such high rank as Dino might have his room in a high place, Hibird flew to a square tower next. However, he dared not come closer at the greeting of the whiffy gas from the narrow opening on the wall. In addition, he heard a man's voice, 'Shoo! How can I relieve myself if you peep at me while I'm in the garderobe, eh little bird?!'

The bird quickly soared higher; the man did not only chastise him with such a disgracing accusation, but also threw him a bunch of straw. The man, on the other hand, wondered at a commotion near the barbican. He saw his fellow soldiers fighting against a sole adversary, but nowise controlled the flow of the battle; most drew backward, for dread of his peerless mettle and might. The upheaval was at its peak and each soldier was attentive only to his own safety. Hence, he made haste to go down the spiral staircase of the latrine tower and then to the bailey.

Wherefore the soldiers, tabards smeared with their own blood, had exceeding joy in heart: their hope of succour was established in the form of their leader. 'You have arrived apropos, captain! Are we to prosecute the siege or desist?' one of the senior guards remarked, 'This … thing … must be a blasphemous work of some evil sorcery if not Satan's incarnation himself. It does not even bleed when our halberds pierced its abhorrent body.'

Hibari did not bother to defend himself against such prejudice. In truth, despite the absence of blood, his body emitted sawdust and he was not insusceptible to pain each time a soldier's acuate metal weapon scraped his flesh of wood.

The captain cast a warning look towards the grisly pine puppet, with the blood of his opponents befouled and afore whom the castle guards were smitten with fear, 'If you desire peace, lay down arms.'

'Where is Dino Cavallone?' remained the sole reply Hibari emitted.

Trying to find luck elsewhere, Hibird flew across the inner bailey, above a well-tended garden in an atrium surrounded by colonnaded porticoes and passing various people below him. A scullion drew water from the well. An acater was negotiating price of pears with a costermonger. A locksmith was equipping the door to the storage house with a new set of keys. The constable showed the way to a clouter whereas two masons came out from the same door after delivering their petition to the king.

There was no sign of the prince still.

The bird took wing closer to what seemed to be the great hall and observed from the largest window. Alas, luck was not with him that day! The room turned out to be the kitchen. While the sight of a scullion washing the crockery in a large stone sink did not intimidate him, that of pigeons roasted on spits nearly made him swoon.

Flying back to his master using a different route for his return itinerary, Hibird passed a chapel from which a noblewoman stepped out. The look in her face was that of a relief after having her sin absolved. However, this expression soon turned into horror as soon as she caught glimpse of the soldiers' fight close to the barbican.

With every passing minute, the guards grew more and more impressed and frightened at the intruder's monstrous strength. Not a single soul among them knew that this single opponent did not exert his strength to its full potential, for it was never his wish to enkindle a true feud upon the House of Cavallone. At length, standing no chance, even with the assistance of more than a hundred foot soldiers, the captain raised his hand to signal the archers to shoot fire arrows at the wooden puppet. Thus, stationing themselves behind the loopholes on the parapet, seven archers did as they were told. The tongues of flame danced near Hibari's feet—they would unequivocally have burnt him had he not eluded them in time.

Seeing there was a possibility to defeat his invincible enemy, the captain ordered more archers to shower the wooden puppet with ignited arrows. Thence, the jet-haired intruder was forced to retreat into the inner part of castle, where these arrows would not reach him. While the soldiers' attention was dichotomised into extinguishing the fire on the inner bailey in addition to pursuing the harrier, Hibari ran randomly, passing the arched gateway, into one of the many doors of the main building. Hibird flew higher overhead.

Some maidservants screamed at the sight of the animate puppet. An arkwright, carrying his delivery, dropped the chest of wood from his hands. The girdler rubbed his eyes. Hibari couldn't care less, for he heard a faint proclamation of 'Lords and Ladies, I present to you His Royal Highness the Prince of Tuscany' and eagerly searched for its source.

After he flung the door open, however, he only met disappointment: the herald—the same herald as the one in the village square—was merely rehearsing for the upcoming ball.

'You,' Hibari swooped fast to grasp the herald by his amigaut, 'Guide me to Dino Cavallone!'

Frightened, the herald started the first step towards the prince's chamber with Hibari following him closely. He tried his best, however, to take a detour to keep his master's life a little longer from this abominable creature.

Nevertheless, the captain of the squad had informed the king and queen regarding the imminent danger brought upon them by a single wooden puppet.

'Very well,' in speech the king proclaimed, 'See to it that my wife and son are evacuated to Naples!'

Thus, while the herald led Hibari astray through as many twists and turns the castle could offer without rousing suspicion exceeding a stranger's common sense of direction, the queen, the prince and a handful of selected retainers made their escape. The sentries then lowered the portcullis, trapping the puppet within the castle enclosure; the king and all the remaining soldiers were prepared to fight to death.

'Where is Dino Cavallone?' growled the pine puppet when the herald took him to the prince's empty room.

'I wit not … by my word, His Highness' bedchamber is here,' the herald answered timidly.

'Any other places he could possibly be?' demanded Hibari.

The herald then led him to the throne room, where the king had been expecting them with an unsheathed sword.

'Where is Dino Cavallone?' Hibari used the same impatient tone.

'Who might you be?' In spite of what age had done to embellish his face with wrinkles, the wizened king remained calm while facing the figure in whose presence all the soldiers trembled.

Hibari's pout lessened. If the proverb 'like father like son' was true, at least he knew he could expect something out of Dino Cavallone.

'I am Hibari Kyouya, son of Geppetto. This one is Hibird.' He gestured at the bird flying behind his shoulder. 'We wish to meet you son.' His answer was delivered in a less agitated manner; his tonfas were not even readied.

'After you meet him, what are you going to do?' the king asked again.

Hibari paused. Come to think of it, he had no such plan; he merely sought out Dino based on instinct, on an indescribable need to be near the foolish blond for as long as possible. 'I shall decide that after seeing him face to face.'

Apparently, this answer sounded too suspicious for a king who would heroically defend his demesne and for an old father who loved his only son so much. The battle became inevitable.

Meanwhile, on the royal ship, Prince Dino, who was reluctant to leave, but chose not to go against his father's direct order, enquired, 'Wherefore must we leave for Naples now, mother?'

'There is a last minute change in your wedding arrangement, dear. Rather than here, Princess Rosalinda you will marry in Naples. Of course, arriving there a few days early is better.'

The reply did nothing to assuage Dino's grief-stricken mind. He wanted to ask the queen the reason for this, but she was busy ordering her subordinates to prepare to sail at once.

Casting one last look on the blest Tuscany sand, the crown prince visualised a pine puppet chopping the logs with his tonfas once again. I must not wish for what cannot be! Farewell, Kyouya!

Thus, on the ship sailed, blown by the merry zephyr under the clement weather. It was not until the ship had been leagues away from the Tuscan waters that Hibari and Hibird managed to relinquish the Cavallone castle in order to chase Dino.

When the old king was defeated, he did not beg the uncouth puppet to spare his life. He did, however, ask, 'What animosity has driven you thus far? With what predicament has my son wronged you to make you pursue him to such an extent?'

'I loathed him not. I merely purport to pass the time with him.'

'Why?' the king asked back with furrowed eyebrows.

'Because,' answered the wooden puppet, 'when he is not with me, I feel something is incomplete.'

The last answer came rather slow, giving the king enow time to indulge himself in an exhalation. 'You are not going to kill Dino or harm him soever?'

'No.'

'O Pine Puppet, my son is currently sailing for Naples. You are welcomed to stay here and wait upon his due return.'

'In nowise shall I be incapable of waiting that long. Something inside necessitates me to find him now.'

Straightening his attire, the king remarked, 'Very well, so long as you mean my son no harm, you may borrow a boat and go after him.'

'Grauntmercy,' Hibari did not know what made his tongue roll the next word, but he just had the urge to call the king, 'father'.

The old man blinked in confusion, but let the animate puppet go without further ado.

Hence, Hibari Kyouya crossed the salty sea with only one bourn in his mind. He did all he could to draw near to Dino's royal ship, but his first time rowing speed could not rival that of fifty trained soldiers. He did not even know which direction he ought to take in the first place. His small boat soon went astray and became the oft-times plaything of the perilous sea, tossed hither and thither over the foamy surface.

Nevertheless, every cloud has a silver lining: the playful waves carried Hibari's boat closer to the royal convoy. After a while, the presence of the buoyant yet unsteady object did not go unnoticed by the keen-eyed lookout. The ship came to the rescue, throwing a rope at the single passenger of the windswept boat. Even though the ship had narrowed the gap, their present distance still did not allow the ship crew to distinguish a wooden puppet from an ordinary human being.

Not knowing why a man he had never encountered aforetime was casting a hawser at him, Hibari did nothing until he heard some of the seamen cry, 'Catch the rope, lad!'

Still, feeling he had no obligation to do so, Hibari ignored their request, causing more crew to shout, for they suspected the boy could not hear them. Dino heard the ruckus from inside his cabin, and hurried to the deck to ascertain the situation.

When he laid his eyes on the unfortunate boat, his soul, which had been formerly bereft of hope, now with exultation danced at the sight of the puppet. Hibari had never revealed even an iota of affection for him, herewith he dared not ween that his love had not been unrequited all along. They were both males. Hibari was no more than a peasant in status and was not even a human being, on top of that. As a prince, Dino had to marry a princess. And yet…

Love rules without rules. L'amore domina senza regole.

Hibird, who was perching on Hibari's shoulder, recognised Dino and flew to him, chirping melodiously.

'Morning dew shines on Namimori

Nondescript, uneventful, ordinary is good

Never get worked up

Healthy and admirable

Ha-haa, let's laugh together

Namimori.'

Ending the song, the fluffy yellow bird happily perched on Dino's head: his master was not the only one who missed the prince.

'Hello, little bird.' Affectionately, Dino stroke Hibird's feathers and the bird cooed to him.

Now, aware of Dino's presence onboard, Hibari took the rope at last. As soon as he set foot on the deck, he proclaimed, 'Dino Cavallone is mine!'

At this declaration, the whole ship convulsed with laughter, but the intended addressee could not have been happier.

Within her camomile and mint scented cabin, the queen overheard the commotion outside and questioned one of her ladies-in-waiting, 'At first, they were yelling, now they are laughing. What is the matter with this ship's crew?'

'I shall go and see what has bechanced, Your Majesty.' The lady curtsied.

'There is no need. I shall confirm that with mine own eyes,' answered the queen with an air of impatience, as the turbulent waves of the sea did not compromise her attempt for embroidery. Thus, the queen stepped forth courteously to the deck, bedight with the finest jewels Tuscany could possibly offer and dressed regally in silk of which train streamed gracefully behind her.

'O Pater sancte in caeli altissimo!' shrieked Dino's mother upon seeing the animate wooden figure. The queen swooned with affright, her gown of glory pooling on the ship deck. Her two ladies-in-waiting had caught her dainty form before she fell onto wooden planks of the ship.

Swept with worry, the prince rushed onto his mother. Nonetheless, at that moment, the waves churned and the ship shook violently. Dino, who was running near the edge of the ship, fell into the water.

Deep in the bottom of the ocean, there lived a prodigious turtle named Enzo. Being so gigantic, the quantity of food he needed to appease his appetite did not allow him to be too picky. Therefore, that day, feeling hungry while surfacing, Enzo decided to swallow Dino.

'Your Royal Highness!' exclaimed Lord Chamberlain Romario distressed by the mischance that befell them. Grabbing the nearest available halberd, he prepared himself to jump into the sea to rescue his master. Nonetheless, the splash had occurred before Romario left the ship: Hibari had jumped from the other side of the vessel.

Having forced Enzo's mouth to open with his tonfas, Hibari waded into the turtle's throat. Neither the unpleasant odour of decay nor the embalming darkness in the creature's massive oesophagus precluded the wooden puppet from coming to the prince's rescue.

'Kyouya!' The prince remarked in surprise. Inasmuch as he was felicitous that succour was nigh at hand, he was also abashed to have his idol see him entangled in his whip. Fortunately, the sombreness concealed the blush on his cheeks.

'What are you doing, herbivore?'

'Er, I was trying to … never mind. Could you help me?' Dino squiggled.

'What do you want me to do?'

'Release me from the confinement of this whip, prithee?'

'If you dislike it, why did you wrap yourself with it?' The wooden puppet asked, still curious, for he had never encountered such a situation afore.

''tis not what I endeavoured; I intended to open this turtle's mouth with my whip, but the leash of this good whip entangled me instead.'

The skylark's lips curled in derision, but he did release the Bucking Horse.

'Pray tell, do you have any plan concerning our method of departure from this dismal, malodorous place?'

'I shall bite this huge creature to death and then force its mouth open,' asseverated Hibari.

'Now, Kyouya, there is no need to harm a hungry turtle. As long as his mouth is opened, we can find our way out.'

'You are too faint-hearted, herbivore!' muttered Hibari, but all the same, he did not swing his tonfas his with full strength.

Dino watched Hibari in silence. The pine puppet's adeptness with the tonfas set his heart aflutter again. But then his mind was tormented: Hibari or Tuscany; it had to be one or the other. Love did not always walk hand-in-hand with Felicity.

The pine puppet assiduously beat the hard wall of Enzo's thorax. The exit was so nigh, yet so formidable to break through. At length, excessive use of force deprived him of power—even a puppet's stamina was not eternally inexhaustible. Hibird, too, tried his best to make a hole on the wall with his tiny beak. The thick wall refused to budge.

'It may peradventure be wise to try another part of Enzo for a thinner, more passable wall.' He heard the prince suggest.

Much though the skylark doubted that there was any thinner part within this sea monster, he could find no other solution. Quietly he followed Dino exploring the deeper part of Enzo's throat.

After only a few steps, however, the Crown Prince of Tuscany tripped.

Without saying a word, Hibari extended his hand to help Dino stand up.

'Grammercy.'

Reluctantly, Dino let go of the wooden hand when he had stood on his feet. He never dared to imagine that the puppet would snatch his hand again, stating, 'Hold my hand unless you wish to fall again!'

It was then Dino bethought himself thatperhaps being trapped in the foul-smelling darkness of some sea monster's body was equal to a tryst in a tunnel of love.

When they reached Enzo's stomach, they had to tread more carefully so that their feet did not get caught amongst the ship ruins and skeletons swallowed by the sea monster. To Dino's dismay, Hibari released his clasp.

'These are similar to what father uses to build fire,' the puppet concluded after examining two firelighter stones he had just picked up from among the sunken ship ruins.

Therewith, Hibari ignited a fire. It took all his effort to create the spark, since the stones had been in such a humid storage for too long. But when he succeeded, the flicker of hope for survival sparked evermore in their hearts.

Dino fetched some wooden planks and lit one of them with the fire Hibari had just created. Afterwards, he used it to light another wooden plank so that each of them now held a torch.

Then the ground—or whatever solid thing they were standing on—shook with tremulous seism.

'How peculiar! There should not be an earthquake inside an animal's stomach,' postulated Prince Dino.

But then, the answer appeared in the form of a loud-roaring cough.

'Oh poor Enzo … the smoke of our torches must be bothering him.'

The gigantic turtle coughed again, but Hibari stared at Dino in disbelief: how could this soft-hearted herbivore pity the monster when they were caught up in a cyclone of swallowed wreckage!

And why did he decide to suffer such hardship just to see this herbivore?

The jet-haired puppet stood and pulled the human into his embrace, making sure that the prince's head was nestled safely onto his chest.

'Uh, Kyouya?'

Even Hibird, who had flapped his wings towards the ceiling of Enzo's stomach to take refuge from the flying debris now looked at them curiously.

'Silence, human! I have watched my father at work and I know your flesh and bone feel more pain than my wooden body.'

'You are protecting me from all harm perchance?' beamed the older man.

'If you have some strength left, do something to get us out of here rather than talking, gormless fool.'

Thereupon, Hibari's torso bent even more. There was loud crash and Dino could see a broken mast along with some wood splinters fly past them. Dino looked in horror; the mast must have injured his beloved Kyouya!

Courage smouldered within his heart. Not wanting to see the wooden puppet receive further injury, Dino readied his whip. But, he was not the clumsy man he had been before. His grip was true. His leash was purposeful. Whatever came their way, he destroyed with a fierce crack of leather.

Hibari never knew that this dumb-looking prince concealed such proficiency; now this man looked like a stranger—someone who no longer fit the description of an herbivore.

'If you could do such things, you should have done so from the beginning!' Even though now he knew that the leather whip attached to the prince's belt was no mere decoration, he couldn't help growling, annoyed because the dance of prince's whip uninvitedly accelerated his heartbeat.

'But Kyouya, I normally can't exercise my power to its maximum unless my parents or retainers are around. It is a peculiar trait—I shan't deny that—but it's true.'

'So I have become your retainer now?' Hibari's voice was no less lenient, if not even grimmer, after hearing Dino's annotation.

'No, Kyouya. It means that I cannot use my true ability without the equanimity that comes with having someone I trust at my side. And you…'

Dino's speech came to a halt. A part of a ship's hull, larger than any of the objects that had flown past them, now threatened to collide upon them.

Hibari noticed as well, for he remarked, 'We can't stay like this forever. Let's leave this monster through his open mouth!'

Dino nodded, and together they dashed into Enzo's mouth. It was no easy task with the air current pushing them back when Enzo drew breath just before his next cough. The closer they got to the beast's mouth, the more immersed the room with sea water, and near the exit, the water was waist-deep.

Abandoning their torches, they made their escape as Enzo coughed again. Outside, there was water everywhere. Not too far above them, sunrays illuminated the sea surface to a brilliant blue colour. Below, the colour deepened into a darker hue, but they could still delineate the shape of the algae swaying amongst the corals and some schools of little fish swimming past them.

Dino swam upwards, for his lungs demanded an immediate air supply. But, as he looked sideways, his heart leapt in panic: the jet-haired puppet was sinking. Of course, it was only natural for the pine puppet who lived in the forest with an elderly man not to be required to swim aforetime.

Hibari was struggling, kicking the water with all his might and creating countless bubbles with the swings of his tonfas. Notwithstanding, his wooden figure wouldn't let him become buoyant. Hibird tried to pull his master upwards, but his tiny size disallowed him from achieving his goal. He sank along with his master.

Dino caught them and strove in vain to swim for them all: drenched in seawater, the weight of Hibari's wooden structure multiplied. Both were desperate for air, but the water pressure weighed them down further and further. Hibari struggled to push Dino away from him no matter how slight the man's chance of surviving. However, not wanting to survive alone, the human refused to separate himself from the puppet.

Just as the iciness of the sea water chilled their bones and Hibari lost his consciousness and Dino thought they would nevermore see the light of the sun, something pushed them back to the surface of the sea—something immense, something which oddly felt like the forehead of a vast creature: Enzo was behind them.

There was an isle enshrouded in a wisp of thin mist not too far ahead, and the massive turtle carried them both on his back ashore therein. Hibird flew low, close to Enzo's enormous tail, following them.

Once they reached the island shore, Dino carefully on the sand. Several minutes later, the wooden puppet started to regain his consciousness.

A smile, as bright as the sun itself, greeted Hibari the moment his eyes opened. 'Kyouya, I am so glad you are safe and sound. Since we first met, there has never been a time when I did not think of you.'

To save him from listening to whatever more embarrassing words Dino might say next—and from the necessity to admit that he felt the same—he asked, 'Wherefore are we here?'

'Enzo brought us hither,' answered the prince as he pointed to a diminutive turtle near his foot, 'And behold, he shrinks when he is no longer in the water.'

'Good. Do you prefer him roasted or stewed?'

'Kyouyaaa!' shrieked Dino as he immediately picked the green turtle from the sand and hugged it tightly across his chest. 'He saved our lives.'

The pine puppet repined, 'He swallowed us too.'

'He was just hungry … oh, and speaking of which, he must be really, really starving right now; the content of his stomach was expelled during all those coughs.' Tucking the turtle still, Dino scampered to procure astray kelp on the sand and fed it to Enzo.

'One more attempt to eat us, you know who is going to be on my plate!' huffed Hibari. Then, he studied his surroundings to find something to eat.

Other than themselves and the undulating sea, nobody else was sighted within the vicinity. At the edge of the sandy shore were clusters of trees. These trees were of different species from those growing in the forest where he resided, and he could not tell which of their fruits were edible. Accordingly, he decided it would be wiser not to risk eating any poisonous berry.

Purporting to find some small animals, like hare or fowl, Hibari decided to explore the island with Dino at his heel. The deeper they went into the clump of trees, the more splendid the island seemed. The glowing afternoon sun heightened the white rocky cliff spearing the sphere of welkin with its magniloquent height at the far background, whilst a sprinkle of dew made the treed beauty of the lush glens glisten more resplendently than the jewels on his sequined crown. The intoxicating scent of the wet verdures even made Dino feel like he did not want to leave the island forever and ever.

Kyouya is here and wherever he goes, any place can become paradise.

Hibari came to a sudden stop, and Dino nearly bumped into his shoulder. Opening his mouth to ask the reason for such an abrupt halt, Dino head a rustle among the bushes.

He listened closely. There were more rustles. And treads.

Readying his whip, the golden-haired prince carefully parted the leaves, making a room for him to pass. Afore his eyes was a herd of donkeys who scattered and fled at the sight of him.

Now that no donkey occupied the place, Dino noticed that the weeds forked. One path was trodden weed whereas the other remained untouched. True to his nature as a crowd hater, Hibari chose the one with no footprints.

The puppet walked very rapidly, keeping his pace faster with every step so that the human stood no chance of walking abreast of him. Dino, conversely, would not yield the rare chance of walking by Hibari's side. Soon, their strides grew into a race.

The race, however, did not last for long. Afore them now stood a white-faced colossal rock cliff. The cliff stretched onto both directions and occupied what seemed to be almost the entire breadth of the island; its either end was miles away from their current position.

Hibari looked upwards. It was hard to tell the exact height of the cliff in the glaring sunlight, but he could tell that it was higher than the height of two castles piled into a stack at the very least. Without further ado, the puppet began his first step to scale it.

'Kyouya, surely you do not mean to…'

'There is no tree as high as this in Namimori. 'tis my desire to climb it.'

It occurred to the prince that he had fallen in love with one crazy entity, and so he followed the puppet without complaint.

Fortunately for them, the cliff surface was so rocky that there was always something to hold on and to step on. Regrettably, the treacherous wind was so remorseless that the climbers would have fallen had it not been for their steady grips and footing.

Upon reaching the top, the breathtaking scenery of the sea and all the greeneries of the island compensated their toil. Pleasant were the lush weeds underneath their feet; serene was the clear sky above their heads. However, their glee did not last long. There was nothing to consume on the top of that cliff and their own hunger compelled them to descend immediately and search for food on the other side of the cliff. Their stomachs had even rumbled quite a few times when they had been on their way up.

Going down was always more difficult than going up. Halfway down, Hibari's foot slipped, and in purport of catching his companion, Dino fell too.

Hibari quickly regained his footing on another rock, and then continued his way down by leaping from one rock to another. Dino, on the other hand, chose to coil his whip around a sturdy rock, and then used its length like a rope to creep down.

'Kyoou-yaaa!' Arms spread open, Dino rushed to hug Hibari as soon as they landed. 'You are unhurt…'

'I wouldn't have died for something like that, foolish herbivore!' answered the skylark as he evaded the bucking horse's hug attempt.

Conning over the experience that being clingy was seriously a bad move in approaching Hibari, Dino retreated. While doing so, his eyes caught something dazzling in the sunlight behind the wooden puppet.

'It can't be…,' the prince murmured as he took a loser look, '… Gold lumps wouldn't just grow on shrubs like this…'

'Strange shiny fruits,' commented the skylark, who was standing behind him.

'They are not supposed to be fruits…' But Dino was unable to continue his sentence. He couldn't be sure that his eyes did not deceive him. He was about to pluck one to examine whether the plant really was gold or just looked like one when the jet-haired puppet warned him, 'Wait!'

Hibari's index finger pointed at scribbles of unfamiliar shapes on the rocky cliff behind the shrub. 'Those writing quothed, "Whoever takes anything from this island will turn into a donkey when the night falls."'

'You can read?' asked the prince in amazement.

The puppet replied with a prick in his tone, 'Did you suppose that old man taught me no literature? Even a child can identify these kanji.'

A child from East Asia perhaps, but a child from Europe? Dino decided it was best not bring up this question. Instead, he concerned himself more with the hoof print next to the kanji characters. Could it be that a foreign trader had landed on this island once and written the message before he himself was affected by the curse?

Dino's stomach rumbled again, and he was not the only one.

'We'd better fashion a quick raft and abandon this place!' initiated Hibari.

Dino nodded, though not without shreds of worry on his face. Hibari was raised as the son of a carpenter, but he was a prince who wist nothing about the art of raft-making.

However, as Hibari began felling some of the trees with his tonfa, Dino caught sound other their own. The both of them rushed to the shore, where the sound came from. There, a ship had landed, and not just any ship, but the royal ship of Tuscany.

Dino waved his hands until the sailors took notice of him, and pointing, they cried, ''tis His Royal Highness Prince Dino!'

The queen heard the jovial exclamation from inside her cabin and rushed to the deck at once. Her countenance became full of delight upon the reunion with Dino. His formerly glorious raiment was in tatters and he smelt of brine, but he was undoubtedly her one and only child.

'Thank heaven you are safe.' Tears of joy trickled down her royal cheeks when she pulled her son in a tight embrace as soon as the prince and the peasant were admitted on board.

Meanwhile, the ship's crew greeted Hibari exuberantly, 'Welcome aboard, valiant hero who has saved our prince!'

As the vice-admiral instructed some of his subordinates to lower smaller boats, Hibari bade them, 'No, stay away from the island!'

The man harangued, 'Heed lad, we're all exhausted after hours of manoeuvring the ship over a turbulent storm at sea. We need some rest, besides we can gather supplies from here.'

'You have arrived betimes, friends of old, valorous seamen, but forsake this island we must,' affirmed Dino, 'Delay no more.'

Still the ship's crew scrupled to obey his bidding. After all, a rest seemed all too pleasant to their weary souls.

The prince admonished them, 'It behoves us to leave this island before nightfall. There has been a warning by dint of writing on a cliff wall about this island's curse: "Whoever takes anything from this island will turn into a donkey when the night falls."'

Not daring to defy the prince's behest rather than believing his reason, the ship captain replied, 'At your pleasure, Your Royal Highness. We shall follow your every adjuration.'

Hence, the anchor was raised once more and the royal ship took sail to the open sea. Dino and Hibari cleansed themselves and carefully disposed of their habiliments into the sea, ensuring that no single grain of sand from the island lingered on them before filling their starving stomachs. As for Enzo, Dino kept him close, hanging on his belt.

When the day waxed away and the sun had descended below the horizon, leaving only darkness behind, a shriek resounded from the ship stern. All feet made haste thither, only to find a blanched sailor shaking in fright, standing near two donkeys.

'The three of us were just sitting here, conversing about tomorrow's weather and suddenly donkey ears sprouted from Luigi and Antonio's heads,' the man recounted in tears, both hands clutching to his own cheeks, marring the skin red, 'Then, tails began to emerge … and hooves … and fur…'

Dino gazed at the two donkeys, who started to bray. Whether they tried to tell the tale of their misfortune or could no longer their live as humans, the prince could not tell. Their attire pooled uncared for beside them.

'Did they come into the cursed island?' Hibari's voice broke he horrifies silence.

'Aye, they had scouted the island before you arrived at this ship,' answered the vice-admiral with a sorrowful voice.

'We'll find healers and alchemists to restore their human form as soon as we reach Tuscany,' consoled the prince.

Still trembling, the sailor who was with the two donkeys asked, 'B-but what if … if … they cannot be cured?'

'They will be cared for in the royal stable. Their families will be provided with monetary assistance for life.'

'Wherefore could we not try to find the cure while we are in Naples?' enquired the queen, wrapping her cloak tighter around herself, for the nocturnal breezes at sea were nowhere as gentle as those which visited her castle.

'We have been heading back to Tuscany since three hours ago, mother; faring homeward we shall be.'

The queen was about to utter her dissent, but the prince addressed her thus, 'We shall talk inside, mother, just the two of us.'

Hence, with pursed lips, the queen signalled her ladies-in-waiting not to follow them into the cabin. The moment Dino closed the door, she reminded him, 'Son, mayn't you forget that you ought to marry Princess Rosalinda of the White Hand.'

'There is only one to whom I shall give myself, and that one is not Princess Rosalinda of Naples,' confided he son.

Through the window, Dino gazed dreamily at Hibari, who was absorbed in watching the flying seagulls from the deck. His hair fluttered in the playful gusts of the terpsichorean sea breeze, while the refulgent moon glowed on the velvet heavens, painting the ripples of water with its argentine glory.

The queen of Tuscany followed the prince's gaze, and for the first time, as realisation came to her, the cruel truth robbed her face of its lovely rubicund colour. Drawing the Sign of the Cross, she recited, 'In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti.'

Nonetheless, Dino left her cabin and walked unto Hibari.

The mother bemoaned what had become of her endearing son, 'Puer mihi, tell me you do not mean that, I pray. Think of the wont; think of the sin.'

Thence, unto the doleful lady of the majestic grace he did plight, 'Let this tiding not fill you with dismay, dear mother. Humans are never free from sins. If sin can be chosen, I shall choose this sin rather than any other. As for the people, as long as they are willing to accept a hero who has risked his life venturing the deep water for my sake as well as saved the entire ship's passengers from the donkey curse to be my consort, I shall ascend to the Tuscan throne. Otherwise, let them have another king.'

'For heaven's sake, Dino, he is a puppet of wood who is neither christened nor chrisomed. It is not natural.'

For the first time in his life, the prince heard his mother groan in such distress—he had no doubt that she would have shrieked had she not been a queen who stood within earshot of her subjects. A fluctuation of guilt wrenched his heart to learn the woman who endured the pain of giving him birth and encumbered by weariness of raising him hitherto had become so grievously distraught. He did not change his course withal.

'What is natural is not necessarily my source of joy. O mother, aren't we, humans, puppets of fate?'

'Puer mihi…'

Without turning back to face her, the prince stated, 'I am no longer your little boy.'

Silence seized the queen, who was stupefied through disconsolation that her son was as good as lost by reason of the most natural thing in the world: aging. Deep in her heart, she had wot this forsooth long aforetime, but it was never easy for a mother to acknowledge there would come a day when her one and only boy became a man.

Dino's tread continued thereupon. With each clank his foot made on the wooden deck, his gait became more encumbered by guilt, but Hibari's reception was worth it.

'You will live with me hereafter,' remarked the pine puppet as soon as Dino stood close to him.

To any other person, it might have sounded like an impudent command. To the prince who was familiar with Hibari's reticence, however, this was no less than a marriage proposal. His entire grievances disappeared, and a new bliss arose within Dino. The prince had never blushed harder in all of his twenty-two years of treading the path of life.

What was his mere kingdom to compare with Love, who was deigned to be the morning and the evening star, the enchanter of life, the inspirer of poets and philosophers, and even the conqueror of all things? Afore him was the one he cherished above all others. If it were by his Kyouya, he'd let his heart be stolen again and again in a thousand different ways.

With a radiant smile adorning his complexion, Dino threw his arms around the wooden puppet's neck and back, and this time, Hibari did not evade him. The prince kept his answer brief—'So be it.'—afore placing his lips upon his beloved's in a chaste kiss.

In a moment of shock, the wooden puppet's eyes widened, unwitting what in the world the prince was doing. Only seconds later, however, he found delight in imitating the prince's deed.

'Ciaossu!' a voice greeted them. A baby fairy had just appeared out of ether.

'Reborn!' the prince greeted the fairy, embarrassed to have been caught right after such a kissing scene, but happy to meet his ex-tutor.

'Long time no see, cry-baby Dino.' The fairy smiled back, and then turned to Hibari. 'I see you have learnt to love more dearly than life itself and be loved equally. As a reward, I shall transform you into a full human being for the rest of your life.' With these words, the fairy detached a green chameleon from his hat, which, in turn, transformed into a bow and an arrow. Without further ado, he shot the arrow into the pine puppet. As the arrow either immersed itself into the wood, the uncarnate, wooden surface of Hibari's skin gradually metamorphosed into cream-coloured flesh.

Captivated by this new beauty, all of Dino's body system ceased functioning: he could not blink, breathe, or speak, and his feet were glued to the ground until Hibari—now a human just like him—reproached, 'Until when are you going to stay like that?'

Only then, his enraptured soul returned to his body again and he stepped close to embrace his beloved once again. 'Ah, I am the gayest man alive, Kyouya!'

'There is no need to keep hugging me.' The reply came firm and sharp.

Nevertheless, Dino was well aware that no matter how harsh Hibari's words might sound, those newly acquired fleshed hands were hugging him back.

'In days to come, we shall invite Geppetto to live in the castle so that he may teach many a disciple his craftsmanship and his art may flourish afore he breathes his last,' whispered Dino.

To which Hibari nodded.

Hibird flew above their heads and sang once again.

'You and me together at Namimori

Staying natural, ordinary is good

Always together

Healthy and admirable

Aah, let's walk together

Namimori.'

And they lived happily ever after.

E vissero per sempre felici e contenti." Hibird ended his tale.

He then asked, "So, how do you like my story, young'un?"

There was no answer, so the bird looked at Enzo's son and learnt that the little turtle's eyes were already closed.

"Sleep tight, little one," murmured the yellow bird softly.

FINE