Fractured Fairytales

Chapter One

Err…yeah. This is going to be my first multi-chaptered TMM fic. I'm not sure how it'll turn out, because most of my multi-chaptered stuff is crap, but I'm gonna try my best! This story's eventually going to have Kish/Ichigo, Tart/Pudding, and Pie/Lettuce.

Background Info

Edorai—the country that Ichigo rules. Resembles feudal Europe. All the action takes place here.

Aoishima—Masaya rules here. It resembles Japan, basically.

Zhongguo—Kind of like medieval China. Pudding is from here.

Sylvans—the aliens. They're distinguished from humans by their unique magic (ability to fly and teleport short distances), slit-pupilled eyes, long pointed ears, and razor-sharp fangs.

Disclaimer: If I owned TMM, I wouldn't be writing this.

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The Sabbia Forest was normally welcoming and full of life, but this day was different. There was no wind, and the tree branches meshed together, cutting off most of the light and turning what light there was into a green haze. The birds, which normally would have been chirping and fluttering in the air, were silent. In short, it was creepy.

The sole witness to all of this was 15-year-old Ichigo, Princess of Edorai. She had snuck away from her retainers and the palace to go for a walk in the forest, but was now sorely regretting that decision. She shivered as a distant shriek of some woodland animal reached her ears. "Oooh", she muttered, "I shoulda stayed home…what was I thinking, coming out here?" It's getting darker, she realized, as what light there was began to fade. Dressed as she was, in a frilly pink dress, she felt extremely vulnerable.

A rustling behind her made her spin around and look up, to meet the face of a boy she guessed to be around her age. But there was something …off…And then he smiled, revealing sharp fangs.

A Sylvan! Now that she was paying attention, she could see that he had slitted golden eyes and dark green hair, with two long pieces in front tied by red bands. Bands of the same color were wound around his arms and legs. He was wearing loose black pants that came to his knees, and a black shirt. But before she had time to notice any more, he spoke.

"Hey, kitten. I'm Kish." She glared at him. Kitten? He continued, apparently unfazed by the Glare of Doom the girl was sending his way, "It's nothing…personal, you understand." Before she could blink, he teleported closer to her and kissed her. Hard. On the mouth. Too shocked to move, she felt something around her neck slip loose. He pulled away, grinning hugely, and vanished.

Blankly, Ichigo stared into space. He kissed me! He KISSED me! How dare he! When I catch him…She realized she was blushing furiously. Dazed, she reached up and touched her lips, and then her hand drifted towards her neck. She gasped.

"My mother's necklace!" The ruby-and-diamond choker had been a gift from her now-dead mother, Queen Sakura, for Ichigo's birthday. It was her most precious possession, and that bastard had stolen it! Immeasurably sad, but realizing there was nothing she could do, she began to head for home.

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The royal palace was a beautiful sight. Made entirely of white stone, it gave the impression of being filled with light, due to the huge windows. However, it was a mistake to think that it could be taken easily during wartime. As well as having some of the most brilliant men in the country as advisors to the princess, there were also those among the staff that possessed magical ability.

None of this mattered to Ichigo at the moment, as she was being practically interrogated by her ladies-in-waiting as to her whereabouts earlier that day.

Mint, a somewhat pushy girl who was the daughter of a high-ranking nobleman, barely gave Ichigo a chance to sit down on her bed before demanding, "Where were you? We were worried sick! You could have been killed for all we knew!"

"Umm…I went for a walk in the forest."

"That's too dangerous for a princess! You could have been attacked by brigands, or gotten lost, or—"

Zakuro interjected, "Ichigo would have been able to defend herself. She's a Fire mage. You know that." Mint flushed, embarrassed. Ichigo smiled. Everyone looked up to Zakuro. The violet-haired young woman had risen from virtual poverty to become lady-in-waiting to the princess by sheer force of personality, yet she was never less than polite to anybody. In addition, she also possessed powerful Light-based magic.

The timid Lettuce spoke up. "But Ichigo…If you got hurt, the whole kingdom would suffer." Ichigo smiled. "I won't get hurt, Lettuce. See? I'm fine." The green-haired girl sighed, obviously not convinced. But then again, it was in Lettuce's nature to worry. The Water mage was painfully shy and had trouble making friends.

The girls were startled by a series of knocks on the doors of Ichigo's bedchamber. Mint had just gotten up to answer it when a yellow blur streaked into the room.

"Ichigo-neechan! Masaya-niichan just arrived, na no da!" Pudding Fon was the court jester from Zhongguo, a kingdom far to the east. She dressed in yellow and orange to match her hair, and was extremely hyper. Her tendency to use Earth magic in her performances usually led to damaged property.

Ichigo sprang from her seat. "Masaya's here?" Prince Masaya of Aoishima was Ichigo's fiancé. The marriage had been arranged for political reasons, but the princess had quickly developed a crush on the boy.

"Oh…I have to get dressed!" She stormed around the room, panicky. After many minor breakdowns and with the help of Lettuce and Mint's expertise, she was attired in a simple red floor-length dress with a low-cut neckline, tight sleeves that reached her wrists, white flowers embroidered on the hem, and red shoes. Dressed to the nines and looking every inch a princess, she descended the stairs to meet her betrothed.

Masaya smiled at her and took her hand. "My lady." He was so gallant! Like most people from Aoishima, he had dark hair and eyes, and his skin was tanned from spending so much time outdoors.

She blushed and stammered something along the lines of "My prince." Nervous, she allowed herself to be led outside to the garden. The rose garden that the castle was famous for had been planted by Ichigo's great-grandmother, and contained every kind and color of rose imaginable—red, pink, yellow, lavender, and even rare blue and purple roses grown by Sylvans. It was Ichigo's favorite place in the kingdom.

Masaya sat down on an elegantly carved stone bench and patted the space beside him, inviting Ichigo to sit as well. He asked, "So, what's happened since I've been away?" She shrugged. "Nothing much. Pudding broke a plate on Ryou's head. She swears it was an accident. He was so mad!" Masaya chuckled. "Advisors to the royal family shouldn't be so hotheaded."

"Yeah. So how is Aoishima doing?" Masaya began to answer, but Ichigo zoned out. His voice…it's so comforting…I wish he'd talk about something other than government for a change. Masaya's voice broke into her thoughts. "Ichigo? Did you hear me?" She blushed and shook her head. He continued, "I was going to ask you if you wanted to go to the bazaar with me tomorrow."

She couldn't believe it. A date with Masaya? "Yes, I'd love to! I need to go get ready…I'll meet you there?" He nodded. She fairly ran back inside, elated. Masaya asked me to go to the bazaar with him! Yaaaay! Unbidden, a memory flashed into her head. That Sylvan boy…Kish…No! Why am I thinking about him? I love Masaya! Kish's just some stupid thief!

Try as she might, however, she could not erase the memory of his face and that kiss--that abominable, infuriating, amazing kiss.

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Meanwhile, night had fallen in the Sabbia Forest. No travelers passed through here now, for it was common knowledge that the forest was home to a dangerous group of Sylvan bandits. Kish was one of them. Their headquarters was located deep inside the woods, protected by barriers of very sharp and poisonous thorns.

Kish yelled up through the barrier. "Hey, Tart! I'm back. Open up!"

Tart, the youngest member of the group, was an Earth mage specializing in plants. He was also highly annoying. He floated down from the trees and, with a wave of his hand, parted the barrier, and Kish entered.

"Hey, Kish, didja get anything good?"

"None of your business, Tart. Where's Cassie?"

An answering yell sounded from somewhere close by. "Incoming!" A girl landed next to them. Castella was Kish's sister, younger than him by a year. She resembled nothing so much as a female version of him, with slightly longer, fluffier hair. When they had been children, most people had gotten them confused. Luckily, that had stopped once they hit puberty.

She latched onto her brother's arm. "So, Kish, what'd you get?" He opened his hand, revealing Ichigo's necklace. She gasped. "Oh, that's gorgeous!" He smirked. "So was the girl I got it from."

Castella immediately smacked him in the back of the head. "You dog! Tell me everything. Now." Fearing further smacks, he complied. "She had red hair and brown eyes, and she was wearing a really, really pink dress."

"Oh, she sounds nice. Not to mention rich—must be a nobleman's daughter. So…am I going to be an aunt soon?" Kish choked in shock. Tart's eyes widened.

"Relax, I was joking."

"So, what's for dinner?"

She punched his arm. "What'd you steal? Oh, yeah, Pie," referring to their leader and the last member of their band, "has a new plan to get us lots and lots of money."

"Where is he, anyway?"

Tart spoke up. "You know him. He's still trying to translate that book on ancient magic. If Cassie didn't check on him occasionally, we would think he died." Kish rolled his eyes and sat down on a conveniently located flat-topped boulder. "So….? Are you going to tell me this wonderful new plan?"

Cassie beamed. "We're gonna rob the castle! See, we'll spend a few days scoping the place out, and then we'll sneak in their and rob the place blind! Those stupid humans won't know what hit 'em."

Kish nodded. "I'm going to go take a nap. Wake me when dinner's ready." With that, he teleported to his room, which, like every other building in their hideout, was made of wood. It was also very small and very bare, containing nothing but a bed, a few books, and a chest to store his clothes in.

He went to his bedroom window and gazed out in the direction of the castle. Somewhere out there is that girl…I wonder if I'll see her again. He smiled to himself. She was very pretty. A sudden realization dawned on him. I don't even know her name…

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End of Chapter One

Well, that's the first chapter of Fractured Fairytales! Also, Castella is a food name too—"kasutera" (Castella) is a type of Japanese sponge cake sold in long boxes, but the name is borrowed from Portuguese sailors who went there.

…Wow. This is actually the longest thing I've ever written, except some assignments for Advanced Placement European History. Leave a nice review, especially if you have any suggestions on how to make this thing better.