Disclaimer: I do not own Fushigi Yugi, sadly. All the glory must go to Yuu Watase. And I do not own the real 'Sleeping Beauty' story either. Also, my friend Ali (username: Suboshi no Miko) gave me the idea to write this parody; I can't take all the credit, can I? lol So, now that is settled, on with the story! Some swearing; baka Tasuki...huggles him
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In late May, the entire Konan empire rejoiced, for the empress had given birth to a prince, whom they named Houjun. Guests from all over the empire were invited to partake in this blessed event, and that included three good faeries by the names of Nuriko, Kouji, and Tasuki. They had come to present gifts to the infant prince, including good looks, a great voice, and above all, a talent for magic.
It was just after they gave the presents, the room grew dark and an ominous figure robed in black appeared from a burst of scarlet flames. The young princess of the neighboring country Sairou, Kouran-sama, clung to her mother's skirt in fear of the phantom's appearance.
It was Tenkou, dark lord of hell. "Such a gathering..." he spoke calmly, standing tall before the throne with boldness that made everyone in the court shudder. "And all for this small child?" The three faeries gathered around the cradle to protect the prince as Tenkou's eyes, piercing gold surrounding black slits like those of a cat, shifted in that direction. He grinned at this, eyeing the small child as he lie sleeping contentedly, unaware of the danger nearby.
Turning back to the throne, he studied the emperor. "I was troubled upon not receiving an invitation," his silky voice showed close to nothing of respect for the lord of Konan.
"Yer not th'sort anyone in their right mind would wanna invite to a celebration like this," a redhead with fangs responded, a poised hand reaching over his right shoulder to retrieve a large metallic fan, while at the same time keeping his amber eyes fixed on the dark lord.
To this, Tenkou merely smiled. Only, it wasn't a smile containing cheer or pleasantness. The corners of the mouth barely turned upwards and the eyes narrowed ominously at the faerie's words. And even so, he still spoke in that unnervingly calm, deep voice.
"I see," he replied, scanning the different occupants in the large room. "And to think I came all this way to offer a gift to the newborn prince..."
"Any gift ya have t'give probably wouldn't be appreciated." The faerie with the darkest complexion glared, a long vertical scar decorating his left cheek and dark blue bangs spilled out over a leather headband. His hand rested on the hilt of his sword, ready to draw. Beside him, the shortest of the three faeries tensed, raising his hands in front of him as two identical ornamented bracelets gleamed around his wrist, grasping a thin wand in one hand as wine-colored eyes surveyed the enemy from a distance.
"It would be best if you left," Nuriko spoke evenly in a fine alto, face grimacing with dislike for the Lord.
"Is that so?" Tenkou raised a pale, claw-like hand to one of his long white tresses, swishing it over his shoulder with a flicking motion from his wrist. "Even so, to show I bare no malevolent feelings, I shall bestow my present to his young highness."
An incredible hush swept over the room, the void of sound almost deafening; they made no noise as the dark lord raised both hands out before his chest, forming a transparent sphere that levitated in front of him. A small gasp of astonishment washed over the court as the demon grinned, continuing his words. "Prince Houjun shall indeed grow accordingly so, as the three faeries have said..." As if by command the inside of the orb began to swirl, like smoke from an extinguished candle. Images blazed to life inside of it. Everyone beholding them gazed in wonder. "His kind heart will draw others to him, his voice will lend encouragement to those around him. Yes, he will grow into a fine prince indeed."
He paused, scanning the room to find everyone's eyes peering up at him, immediately shooting back down should he try to meet any particular gazes. He captivated everyone, even the emperor and his empress, by the show of magic before them; waiting on edge for him to proceed. He couldn't keep them in suspense for long.
"But..."
His yellow eyes gleamed dangerously as his voice lowered sinisterly; white hair trembled as a cold chill washed through the room. "Before the sun sets on his 16th birthday, he shall receive a mortal wound over his left eye; once he has suffered and been torn from his physical body, his soul shall belong to me for all eternity in hell!"
Horrified, the empress snatched her sleeping child from his crib, protectively holding him against her chest.
Out came Kouji's sword, followed soon by Tasuki's tessan, and they rushed at the dark form, but Tenkou vanished from the palace with another burst of rose flames, laughing cruelly. Looking back, the two watched as the empress bitterly wept over the fate of her child, comforted by the emperor. Whispers of dread and sadness spread throughout the room as they watched the tiny child sleeping securely in his mother's arms, tears running down her cheeks as she placed a gentle kiss on his small forehead, rocking him as she mourned the thought of losing him.
It was later, after the crowds had left and the faeries were alone with their rulers, that Nuriko proposed a plan to save Houjun's life. After discussing the matter with the royal family, and receiving a remorseful consent, the trio took the infant into the forest far away from the capital to live in a small abandoned house were for fifteen years they raised Houjun as their own, and to protect him, they renamed him Chichiri. The task was difficult, since they had decided from the beginning to abandon the use of their magical abilities in order to keep their presence a secret, but they were managing.
Enraged that the young prince had mysteriously vanished without a trace, Tenkou sent out one of his demon minions, called Hikou, with the instructions to find the child and report back to him immediately. Quickly obeying, Hikou searched far and wide, but due to the three faeries' good plan, locating the prince proved difficult for a number of years.
One day, he was strolling through the forest in his search when the sound of playful laughter caught his attention. Ducking behind a pine and cautiously peeking out over the side, he saw a small boy, no older than eight, running and jumping around in the atmosphere scented with fresh greens.
The instant Hikou saw him; he knew that he must be the prince from the description the dark lord had given him. Disappearing fully behind the tall tree, Hikou silently concentrated on a spell and in less than a few seconds transformed himself into a child-like form that was close to the prince's current age.
Taking a breath, he leaped out from behind the tree into the other boy's path, causing him to jump back, startled. "Hello! My name's Hikou! An' who're you?"
Recovering from the sudden surprise, the cyan-haired boy glanced up, dusting off his clothing from having fallen down. "Hello, Hikou-kun! My name's Chichiri no da!"
Lifting a brow at the strange speech impediment, Hikou pretended to like Chichiri and played with him in the woods. Behind his innocent smile, Hikou schemed to wait until the prince turned 16, and then fulfill the deed he had set out to do. But what he didn't realize was that he would end up liking the mortal child as time passed, and his purpose was temporarily forgotten as summer after summer and winter after winter drifted by, drawing ever closer to that increasingly not-too -distant season of the fateful day.
--
On the day of Chichiri's 16th birthday, the three fairies were unusually quiet and secretive, making the teenager wonder what they could be up to...and knowing their mischievous natures it made him worry.
Now he was 16 and very skilled at using magic. He had grown into a fine young man, from his shimmering sky-blue hair usually kept back in a low ponytail with a section of bangs that ran down the side of his face to about his left cheek to his fair skin and dazzling mahogany eyes.
It was the afternoon, and Chichiri walked by the mirror on the way out of his small room; quickly checking his reflection and seeing that everything looked in place. He then exited his chamber and strolled down the short flight of stairs to find the three faeries huddled together whispering, their backs to him.
"Yeah, good idea." Kouji nodded, currently leaning on Tasuki's shoulder as if he were a piece of furniture.
"But how're we gonna get 'im outta the house?" The redhead asked, growing slightly irritated by the dark-blue haired faerie's weight. Nuriko was growing just as agitated, glared daggers at Kouji, who smirked right back, before the purple-haired one continued.
"Oh don't worry, I'll think of something. Now, what I was thinking we could do for tonight is-"
"Hey you guys, no da." At Chichiri's sudden cheerful words, they all shot apart, standing with their hands folded behind them and looking like three little kids who were caught looking in the cookie jar before dinner. The teenager stared at them oddly. "What are you three faeries up to no da?"
"Up to?" All three of them echoed, looking at one another for an elaborate lie to tell but finding that none of them had any idea of what to say.
"Nothin', why would ya think that?" Kouji asked, casually leaning back against the wall and folding his arms over his chest. But at the same time, his body language suggested otherwise.
"Up to?" Tasuki repeated the phrase once more. "Well, er, we uhm...Hey wait jus' a frickin' minute!" He scowled, yelling and showing off his trademark fangs. "I ain't no stinkin' faerie! I'm th' wielder of th' magic tessan! Not a faerie, got that kid?"
"You're not?" Kouji's expression shifted from nervous to remorseful in a heartbeat, staring at the redhead with hurt-filled eyes. Tasuki's disposition changed almost immediately.
"Oh Kouji I'm so sorry!!"
"You should be..." The blue-haired faerie looked as if he were about ready to cry.
Nuriko glowered at the two, clenching his fist while Chichiri simply stared. After fifteen long years, he had gotten used to this odd behavior, sad though it was. "I'm still waiting for an answer from you three, no da."
'I'm gonna kill that kid if he says "no da" one more time...' Tasuki mentally swore, patting Kouji's back and rubbing in small circles as the two made up.
The purple-haired faerie swallowed his rage for a moment and turned to him. "Well, we were just talking about dinner tonight. We, uh...wanted to know if you would go out and catch a fish to make for dinner..."
"FISH?!!" Chichiri's eyes lit up immensely, suspicion vanishing in an instant. He loved to go fishing, and Nuriko knew this.
The faerie gave himself a smile of satisfaction as the other two conversed behind them, being ignored by the womanly-looking man and the teenager. "Yes, we would like you to go catch a fish, if you wouldn't mind too much, Chichiri. Of course if this proves to be inconvenient for you, you don't have to..."
"No trouble at all! I'll be back with the fish no da!" Grabbing his fishing pole and kasa, he rushed out the door before the other two could question Nuriko as to the boy's sudden excitement.
Blowing on his well-manicured nails to show off he rubbed them against his collarbone. "He's still got it." He announced proudly to himself.
Turning around to the two, Nuriko clapped his hands. "Well? What are you two faeries waiting for? We finally got him out of the house! Let's get busy!"
"I AIN'T NO BLOODY FAERIE DAMMIT!!" Tasuki swore, so loudly in fact that Chichiri could still hear him as he sprinted the few miles away to the river where the fish were plentiful.
Kouji's eyes watered again, becoming SDed. "Y-ya mean you're not, koibito?"
Tasuki soon popped into SD as well, hugging his darker-skinned companion in apology. Nuriko SDed too, shouting orders. "Knock it off and get busy already!"
At that moment, Nyan-Nyan popped up, levitating in mid air. "Hello! Do you need help with Houjun-sama's party? We can help!!" Almost instantly, the little teal-haired girl multiplied, almost flooding the small room of the cottage. "Hello Tasuki!!" they all chorused, piling onto the red head where he stood. "We fix your dirty mouth for you!!"
"WHADDA YA FUCKIN' MEAN I GOT A DIRTY-"
They all waved fingers at him disapprovingly. "Tsk tsk tsk. You need fixing! But don't worry; we can fix and cure anything!" Tasuki soon drowned in a sea of Nyan-Nyans, his hand the only thing exposed. Kouji gripped his stomach, laughing, while Nuriko just sweatdropped.
"Uh, actually Nyan-Nyan," Nuriko spoke in an attempt to save Tasuki from being "fixed" by the magical imps. "We could really use your help with other things..."
All twenty heads turned towards the violet-haired faerie. "That's right! Houjun-sama's party!! Okay! We will help get things ready! We can do anything! We're Nyan-Nyan!"
"GIT OFFA ME RIGHT NOW!!!" Tasuki's muffled voice roared, sending up another chorus of giggles from the little girls.
--
Chichiri walked through the familiar woods he had known growing up, whistling a joyful tune as he walked down the well-known path that led to a small pond containing a great many fish. When he went out fishing, Chichiri almost always went alone and stayed there for hours leaning against his favorite tree and drifting into light dazes of relaxation.
The boy sighed, realizing he wouldn't have enough time to do this. "Oh well... I can always come back tomorrow and..." His sentence stopped short. "...And..."
Sitting bent over the pond, seemingly staring at her reflection, was a girl, looking to be just about his age. Her long hair spilled over one shoulder like a rippling waterfall of pale lavender, some of it held back by an indigo ribbon. A light rouge painted her soft lips; her bright hazel eyes glittering with life. She wore a fuchsia yukata, the hemming delicately lined with crimson. Sandals having been discarded nearby along the bank, she was barefoot, and sometime before he had arrived, she had stuck a delicate white flower in her shimmering locks. All Chichiri could do was stare, numb and unable to move; the only thing snapping him back to reality was the young woman's voice when she realized she was no longer alone.
"Um, are you alright?" a sweet alto asked.
Chichiri shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "Er...yes! I'm perfectly fine, no da. I just came here to do some fishing but I didn't know someone else would be here too no da." He knew he must have sounded like an idiot and he would have smacked himself if she hadn't been looking directly at him. A faint tinge of red crept over his complexion as he looked back at her again.
The girl brought a robed sleeve up to her mouth, concealing a smile. "Well, if you are going to fish, don't let me stop you...what was your name? I don't think I caught it."
"Ch-chichiri no da."
Again, the girl couldn't help but smile. "Nice to meet you, 'Ch-chichiri no da.'" She giggled when his face evidently showed greater embarrassment. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't tease. It is a nice name. Oh, and my name is Kouran."
Kouran...
"Would you like to sit here in the shade?" She patted a patch of grass next to her invitingly, making the young prince nervous.
"Uhh...if it wouldn't make you feel uncomfortable..."
Kouran shook her head. "Not at all. Please, I rarely get to talk to anyone my own age. Come sit here."
As if responding to a royal command, he walked over and seated himself a respectful distance away while still remaining in the shade. Silence reigned between them for a few awkward moments as Chichiri cast his line into the water and watched the ripples form in the pool from the line entering the glassy surface. A small sigh escaped him as he tried to force himself to relax.
Kouran looked a bit shy as well, folding her hands together across her knees in an almost noble fashion, staring down at the water. She couldn't think of what to say to him now. Up close, she realized that this stranger looked more handsome than he had a few moments ago. When she was sure he wasn't paying attention, she stole glances at his face, blushing ever so slightly. And with each glance more and more butterflies accumulated in her stomach. "Um...so, you...like to fish, I take it?"
Yanked from his own thoughts by the other, Chichiri responded back. "Y- yes. It's just very relaxing to sit here and, well, relax no da."
"But what if you don't catch anything?"
Chichiri shrugged. "It's still good to just get out sometimes, you know? But enough about me. What are you doing out here, Kouran-san, if you don't mind my asking no da?"
She blushed more. For some reason, when he had said her name, even adding that cute little phrase afterwards, her heart wanted to skip a beat. She struggled to answer without leaving too much of a delay. "Oh I just wanted to get away...find some time to myself. And that's very hard to do in my position."
"And why is that no da?"
"Because I..." she paused thoughtfully. "It is simply because of my parents. They want me to take this high position and marry this man once we're old enough..."
His heart sank as he outwardly tried to keep a smile. "Oh, I see." She was already betrothed to someone else. And here he had been hoping that... "What do you want to do no da?"
She bowed her head reflectively, momentarily closing her eyes as she prepared her thoughts. Chichiri watched her. 'Gods, she looks beautiful,' he thought wonderingly.
"I want to be free," she said after organizing her thoughts. "I want to wander around these woods everyday for the rest of my life. It's so quiet and lovely here...but if I marry, I can never come here again. And I don't want to lose this place."
Chichiri nodded. "I would miss this place too no da. I grew up here in this forest with my three...uncles no da." He stumbled awkwardly over the word. Kouran noticed, but she didn't press.
Sighing, she leaned back, looking up at the sky... "Oh no!" Getting up, she scurried over to where her sandals lay scattered on the ground and grabbed them, turning to Chichiri briefly. "I didn't realize it was this late! I'm so sorry, but I have to go! It was nice meeting you!"
He was on his feet in a second, taking a few long strides to catch up with her dainty steps. "You're going home no da?"
She nodded. "Yes, I promised my parents I would be home by a certain time...oh they'll be so mad at me!" The lavender-haired girl glanced left and right anxiously. "Now where did my horse go? I need her to get back..."
"I'll help you find it no da." Stepping back to avoid her curious eyes, he closed his own mahogany orbs and sent out magical feelers into the area around them. Within moments he located the object he sought. Tapping her on the shoulder, he pointed in the right direction. "Let's try this way no da."
"B-but I came from that way..." She sighed. "Well, what have I got to lose?" Kouran stepped into the brush behind Chichiri, but was slow in following due to all the weeds and fallen stumps littering the path. The boy looked back to see that she was lagging behind, retracing his steps. Holding out a hand, he smiled sheepishly.
"Need some help no da?"
Blushing but nodding, she accepted his offered hand, shuddering at the tingles that traced up and down her arm as their palms came in contact. Trying to conceal some bashfulness of his own, Chichiri led her in the direction of her mount, coming across it very quickly. Once they stepped out of the thicket, they released hands, much to Kouran's disappointment.
Turning quickly and walking to her steed, she hoisted herself up, sitting sidesaddle. Walking her horse over to him, she spoke. "When will I see you again, Chichiri-san?"
"Daaa..." He fumbled for a bit. He couldn't believe he was going to say this, but he braced himself, quickly shooting out, "How about tonight no da?"
She blinked; surprised that he would want to see her so soon. "And what would the occasion be?"
Again, he stumbled, looking at the ground as if the grassy soil fascinated him. "Um...a birthday no da?" he nearly whispered, waiting for her to laugh at him. She did giggle, but it wasn't in a mocking way.
"Oh how wonderful! I'll think of some excuse to leave my, uh, house for a bit. Where do you live? I will try to come."
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A/N: WAI!! Well, what did you think for the first chappie? Read and Review to show your gratitude! Hee, just kidding. And hey, just so everyone knows, I know that 'Chiri actually receive that scar at age 18, but the fairy tale called for 16, so yeah...I was trying to follow the whole Sleeping Beauty plot as much as I could without making it corny! (My apologizes if a few of you still found this corny!!) Anyway, see you all in the next chapter!
Amaya-san