Okay! Chappie two is up! Hope you like. :3
Chapter: 2
-x-
Upon arriving to the cozy cottage that he shared with his father, Shuichi sighed at the smoke that leaked through the cellar door. Bending down and opening the wooden doors, he held his hand over his mouth and coughed at the smoke that bombarded him. "Dad? You okay down there?" He called. His response was a tall man scrambling out of the cellar, lying down on the ground and gasping for fresh air. "So... how's the invention going?" The pinkette smirked.
The blonde man frowned and huffed, spreading his limbs out on the grass. "It's just not gonna happen. The only thing that piece of junk is good at is starting house fires. Not even worth taking to the fair." K explained.
Shu laid down by his dad and smacked his shoulder playfully. "Don't say that. I'm sure you can come up with something..."
Suddenly the blonde man shot up and grinned. "I've got it!"
"Dad... what the hell is that?" Shuichi asked while shielding his face.
"Language, my dear boy- and this, this, is the future!" K shouted while throwing his arms in the air. The strange contraption spewed smoke and with an ax moving up and down, chopped wood that flew neatly into a pile across the room. "Our days of blistered and cut fingers are over! Now we can sit by a warm fireplace without the hassle of cutting firewood. What do you think, son?"
Shuichi studied it, circling it and poking certain spots. "I think... it's a shoo-in for first place!" The pinkette shouted and hugged his father. "You're a genius!"
"I'm a genius!" K threw on a cape cloak after embracing his son, and in about an hour the two had somehow hauled the contraption outdoors and shoved it into the horse carriage. Hopping up onto the seat, the blonde man waved to his son and said his goodbyes as their horse whinnied, galloping down the dirt road.
"Cinder... I think you've gotten us lost!" K exclaimed in disapproval. Said horse only "Psh"ed in response and furrowed its eyebrows while stomping his hoof as his owner held the map up at the sun and tilted it at odd angles. K pulled on the ebony horse's reins, leading him down a path that made the horse halt and neigh, nodding his head to the left- where another path lay. The blonde yanked on the reins once again and said, "C'mon boy." Said stallion shook his head slightly and did as he was instructed.
As the two strolled along the foggy path, owls and rodents hidden within it scurried and made eerie sounds, putting Cinder on edge. Suddenly, a loud howl sounded throughout the wood and startled said animal, who whinnied and halted. "Whoa boy!" K shouted as the whole cart jostled from the sudden movements. A loud bark and a howl later, Cinder was darting down the path as he stumbled over his own hooves. Somewhere along the way K had been thrown off of the cart and into the icy snow, effectively hitting his head on the ice-coated ground. He tried to stay conscious but darkness was clouding his vision ever so quickly, and he felt three times heavier. Although his hearing was failing him by the second, the blonde managed to hear the door to the back of the cart open loudly, and see a pink blur run towards him. "Shu... Shuichi?" He gasped in surprise.
Said teen knelt at his father's side, smiling sheepishly and saying, "I forgot to tell you... I can't stand being home alone..." He finished with a nervous laugh. K only glared at the boy and drifted off into unconsciousness.
"Damn!" Shu cursed as he hauled his father onto his back, crouching from the added weight while trudging through the thick snow. It was dark by now, and Cinder had run away, leaving the two men stranded in the forest with no food. "This is useless..." Shuichi said in defeat. It had been hours, and still after scouting around for so long he had found not one sign of life. Breathing into his cupped hands, the pinkette rubbed his arms and face, nearly blue from the cold. He propped his father back up onto his back and breathed deeply. After another thirty minutes of walking, or rather trudging, the boy was at the point of exhaustion. That was until he spotted something that made him stop in his tracks, and then charge forward.
An old iron gate! Yes! He'd made it! Shu laid his father down and pushed the gate open, pulling the man into the front portion of the humongous castle and closing it back. He knocked on the huge doors, receiving no answer. Considering he and his father were slowly freezing to death, the boy took it upon himself to enter the castle. "It's so huge... amazing..." He gawked while hauling his dad back onto his back.
"Why, thank you!" A voice echoed throughout the room.
"Wha- who was that?" Shu asked aloud, looking around himself while closing the door with his foot.
"Hush! Maybe if we stay still, he'll go away." Another voice whispered.
"What? Where are you?" Shu asked, getting a little creeped out.
"Oh, Suguru! These two men are obviously lost and in dire need of shelter! It would be rude not to offer assistance!" A sly voice exclaimed.
"Tohma! No-!"
A golden candelabra suddenly hopped from a nearby table, holding out his lit limb and bowing. "I am Tohma, and if I may be of service, I would be eternally grateful if I were to be able to suffice to your needs."
A pendulum clock hopped down after the candle, pushing him over. "Stupid! Our cover's blown! This is just GREAT-" Suddenly Tohma held a lit limb to Suguru, making the clock howl loudly and overall start a fight that poor Shuichi would have to witness.
Said boy fell to his knees. "This isn't happening... I'm going mad..."
I know this chapter was a bit short and uneventful, but I promise the next one will have a lot in it. :) Maybe this time I could get some reviews as a reward for updating this soon? *wink wink nudge nudge* Well, it was soon for me. Until next time my bee-yewtiful readers! Happy Holidays!
