King Fujitaka was stressed

The Six Slippers

Konnichiwa, minna-san! I've had this hanging around for, oh, about 2 months, and I just found it (pathetic, ne? Don't answer that…-_-() ) Anyway, un-posted fics get on my nerves (I feel like I have to post them, or else…) so up it goes! Oh, and it's a sort of parody of one of my all time fav. fairy tales, so if it looks familiar, that's why. Enjoy! (R&R!!) ^_^

DISCLAIMER: I don't own this original fairy tale, or CCS. So don't sue me, K? ^_^

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King Fujitaka was stressed. Every night now, for the past month, his daughters had needed new shoes. To most people, you would think that shoes for royalty would be no biggie, but Fujitaka's daughters demanded the best type of shoes for their dainty little feet.

These were no ordinary shoes, either. No, they were the girls' dancing shoes. Fujitaka was not only stressed, but puzzled, too. How could they ruin brand new dancing shoes in one night? It's not like they went anywhere. He had made sure that they were heavily guarded, and no one went in or out of their room.

He sighed. Just last week he had issued a decree: anyone who could solve this mystery would be allowed to have any princess for their wife. So far, many men, young and old, had come to try to luck, but not one had been able to figure it out. Oh well, he thought, maybe tomorrow… Fujitaka drifted off to sleep, praying that tomorrow his daughters' shoes would be in perfect condition, and that he wouldn't have to worry anymore.

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It was a beautiful day, not a cloud in the sky, and birds were chirping peacefully in their trees. Syaoran smiled. It had been a long trip, but soon he would be home.

He had been away at war for two years, and was looking forward to coming back to his hometown. He heard the rush of a bubbling brook, and turned off the path to see if he could find it. His sense of direction was superb, and he quickly found the brook and began drinking from its cool, shallow depths.

"Why hello there, Li Syaoran," a voice said behind him.

Startled, he whirled around, coming face-to-face with an old, bent woman.

"H-how do you know my name?" he asked incredulously.

She smiled.

"My dear, I know a lot more than most people think. My name is Mira, and I am a sorceress."

He stared.

"A sorceress? Here?"

"Hai," she sat down on a fallen tree limb, "and I was wondering if you had anything for a poor, tired woman like me to eat?"

Syaoran quickly remembered his manners, bowed, then picked up his small sack and began searching for some food. His search was rewarded with three small apples, and a few slices of bread.

"I know it's not much, but," he bent over to wash the apples in the stream before handing them, along with the bread, to her, "they couldn't afford food for all the soldiers in my regiment. A farmer donated this to us. I hope you like it."

Mira took the food smiling.

"Thank you, Syaoran-san, you are very kind."

He smiled in return, then stretched out on the grass, yawning.

As she finished the small meal, she rose to leave.

"Domo arigatou, Syaoran-san. I appreciated it very much. As a thank you, I'd like you to take this," she reached into a pouch he hadn't noticed before, and drew out a long silvery cloak. He gaped in awe.

"I-is that what I think it is?"

"Hai," she giggled a bit at his reaction, "It's an invisibility cloak, made by my father, years and years ago."

He stared.

"And you want me to have it?"

"Hai," Mira handed it to him, "It will help you on your quest."

"My quest?" he took the cloak absentmindedly. "What quest? I just want to get home, that's all."

She continued to smile.

"You will know in time, Syaoran-san, in time. Arigatou again, and farewell," she walked off into the thick brush on the other side of the stream, and was soon out of sight.

Syaoran, still holding the cloak, watched her go, puzzled. Why had she given him such a valuable item? He'd heard before about these things; they were extremely rare and very costly. After a while, though, the sun became hotter and he knew he must be on his way, so he folded the cloak and laid it gently in his sack before heading back home.

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AN-

So, how was it? We're studying fairy tales now in English, and I'm guessing that's where I got the idea from (in case you can't tell, I have a very bad memory; I can't even remember 2 months back…*sigh*). You can R&R, if you want, but you don't have to. Hmmm…maybe I shouldn't have posted it, after all. Now I have, let's see…*counting on fingers*…7 FIPs!! (fics in progress) PLUS the GundamWing one that I haven't finished yet!!! *sigh* Note to all other authors out there: It is NOT wise to have more than 3 fics at a time. Hoe…-_-()

Trmpetplaya1 (trmpetgrl1@icqmail.com)

S+S4eva!!!!!!!!!!!!^_^