JMJ

CHAPTER TWO:

Bride Horror Revisited

If home is where the heart is, this was the place that was farthest from for Kojiro. If home is supposed to be sweet, why was it that the moment the house came into view, Kojiro began to feel a slight sour taste in his mouth? He could not imagine a warm hearth. Even in the heat of the late summer sun, he felt shivers as he thought of stepping through the massive beasts that were the doors to that house.

Landing the balloon across the bridge from where the giant piece of architecture rose like an ominous mountain out of the flat green plains and soft undergrowth of trees, Kojiro found himself hoping that his parents would still be off in the north for the summer, but summer was drawing to a close, he remembered. Either way the servants would notify his parents of his presence and his parents, even if they were half way round the world, would be in his face within moments flying the fastest way possible back home. But Kojiro would not let himself be daunted.

Hands clutching stubbornly over the side of the basket brim, Kojiro leapt over the side even before everything had been completely shut down or the bulging nyaasu head of the balloon had completely deflated. The other two called after him, and were soon at his side, but he did not look at either of them with his determined focus completely set on the front gates and nothing else.

As he walked across the bridge, however, his pace began to slow. The gates were opened, that would mean his parents would be home, but that was not necessarily why he slowed down.

"Kojiro?" Musashi asked.

Kojiro did not hear her. Images of a pair of coffins appeared before his eyes, and they did not contain the dead. Not that he wished death upon his parents, but such a scheme had been something pretty incredible even if he had suspected it. The whole event of the last time he had set foot on this estate seemed more like a nightmare now than something that had actually happened. Before that day, life at the estate had never been that insane. It had been as if Rumika had had everyone drugged.

He closed his eyes briefly, gathering renewed courage, and started up the pace again.

That was when the images of a delicate-looking woman appeared before his mind with a whip and a surprisingly strong arm. There was an oxymoron somewhere in this image, not that he wanted to think of it deeply. His eyes were already twitching and his spine already prickled with shivers.

This may just be walking into a repeat of what had happened that day, or worse. Rumika could succeed in marrying him!

A mocking smile flashed behind a white and lacy veil as Rumika looked down upon the groom chained with guards on either side as he stood beside her.

"You have to kiss me now, remember? Just like in the manga. Perfect, sublime, and passionately!"

Kojiro stopped so suddenly that Nyaasu and Musashi kept right on walking a step or two before they realized what had happened. Turning around, they stared at him wide-eyed.

"I think …" Kojiro said very slowly and distantly. "I think I just changed my mind …" He turned around and faced the beautiful, calm country road in the opposite direction, so free, so at peace.

Then he felt a hand pulling him by the shoulder back toward the house.

"Oh, no you don't!" snapped Musashi. "You dragged us all the way over here. Now, you go through with this!"

Kojiro moaned.

The graceful fountain through the open black gates looked as peaceful as the road behind him, but he knew far better. It was a mocking façade. This whole place was out to get him. He wouldn't be surprised if they already knew he was here and everyone was waiting for him, marriage and all, just inside the doors in the main hall.

"We'll be right behind you, nya," said Nyaasu.

"Yeah," Musashi agreed. "Anything funny happens, and I'll beat them up myself."

"And I'll scratch them up, nya!"

Somehow, Kojiro did not feel too comforted, but he still continued down the other side of the bridge toward the house. Carefully, he passed through the gates out into the courtyard and drive. The sheer massiveness of the estate already seemed to close in on him. He glanced behind him quickly, half expecting the gates to shut on him, but as nothing happened and all remained as still as before, he continued on around the fountain. Like one walking up the steps of a sacrificial alter in some ancient, foreign land to his doom, Kojiro walked up the few steps. Shakily he came to a stop in front of the tall, ominous doors with head bowed and eyes squeezed shut and teeth clenched tightly as he braced himself for the end.

"Go on," said Musashi encouragingly from behind.

"We're right here, nya," Nyaasu reminded him. "But if you wan-nya go back …

Well, they weren't exactly right behind him, Kojiro found as he turned his head around to see them backed away at the edge of the top step instead of across the platform in front of the door right behind him.

Kojiro stiffened, and with a determined scowl, he faced the door again. Though as he reached for the doorbell, he bit his lip and hesitated before pushing it in. The classic, cheerful ding dong that then sounded seemed quite contrary to the rest of the mood, and although at first it startled Kojiro, it woke him slightly from his fears and nightmarish daydreams.

This is just his house, he reminded himself. He was just going to have a nice talk with his family. That was all. They would all sit down calmly over a nice cup of tea, have some crumpets and scones and talk this whole thing over like civilized people. He was a man now not a child. There should be no reason to fear. If he just stood up for himself and acted the mature part of the only son of this noble-lined family instead of being a cowering, whimpering baby maybe he could get this whole Rumika thing settled before anyone could call her family and announce his arrival.

Yes, his parents would be disappointed in him. Yes, he would probably incur the wrath of Rumika's family for eternity, but this was just marriage they were talking about. Not life or death. Not the fate of the world. Not anything that should bother anyone. Rumika surely had other peers to marry. Everyone would just have to deal with it.

He nodded here to confirm himself, but the nod quickly turned to a cringe.

No.

It would never work.

He turned once more in the opposite direction.

"I don't think anybody's home," he said. "Too bad. I guess we'll just have to go."

Musashi frowned, and Nyaasu opened his mouth to say something, but just at that moment the door opened, and an unfamiliar face appeared in the doorway.

Kojiro could not help but stare at this young man, evidently some new servant, and the young man could not help to stare strangely back for a few seconds. He took in Kojiro's half-destroyed Team Rocket uniform, his bruised and scraped face and arms, and he glanced even quicker at the woman and the Nyaasu behind him. Then he returned to Kojiro, and straightened appropriately and stared down (for he was at least ahead taller than Kojiro) at the strange, wild thing he did not recognize on his master and lady's doorstep.

Once having cleared his throat, Kojiro managed a strange sort of, awkward smile as he said, "Hello, uh … tadaima!"

The servant raised a suspicious brow, but as he continued to stare, a sudden thought occurred to him, and stepping back a pace and widening the door, he asked, "Jiro-san's son …?"

"N-yeah, that's Kojiro!" Nyaasu shouted from behind before Kojiro could speak for himself.

"Yeah, treat your master's son with more respect!" Musashi ordered, crossing her arms and tossing her head haughtily.

Kojiro could not stop the groan that followed.

"Who are they behind you?" asked the servant.

"His friends, nya!" Nyaasu snapped.

"Yeah …" muttered Kojiro. "I'm here to … uh …" he hesitated, twiddling his fingers and shifting his eyes sluggishly. "speak with my parents if they're around."

"Of course, Kojiro-san!" said the servant, stepping back and bowing as he held open the door for the trio to enter.

Again, Kojiro hesitated, but now Nyaasu and Musashi were right behind him. Musashi even gave his shoulder an encouraging pat. Thus with a deep breath, Kojiro stepped in through the entryway and into the hall.

"I will inform your parents of your presence immediately," said the servant with another bow and making for the grand staircase.

"And Rumika …" Kojiro managed to squeak.

The servant stopped and turned around, facing Kojiro directly and quite solemnly.

"That will hardly be likely unless you wish it, Kojiro-san," said the servant, "and if you wish it, it is not advisable, if I may say so."

Kojiro, Musashi and Nyaasu all exchanged confused glances. Each unsure if they could trust their ears with what had just been spoken. Perhaps they had not understood the servant completely. Then Musashi and Nyaasu both looked to Kojiro to ask the fateful question, which Kojiro stepped forward then to ask.

"And, uh … why is that?"

It took all his strength to keep from falling at the servant's feet with tears of joy and bawling his head off, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I don't know why but thank you!"

"Her family, Kojiro-san, no longer will allow her to pursue you."

"That won't necessarily stop her, will it?" Musashi asked innocently.

The servant graced her with a look of mild disapproval, but he quickly cleared his face.

"After your constant escapes and the final realization that you had become a member of that pokémon stealing crime syndicate," said the servant, again facing Kojiro with still solemnity, "Rumika's family decided to break off the engagement."

Now the tears did begin to swim. Kojiro could not help it anymore. Of all the fortunate occurrences he had ever heard. He still could hardly believe what was being told to him, but just at the last phrase "break off the engagement" Kojiro could take no more and did find himself falling at the servant's feet, much to the servant's discomfort. It also seemed that the servant was trying to decide whether Kojiro performed this action out of pleasure or sorrow.

"Really?" asked Kojiro so eagerly that it certainly cleared any confusion, especially as he looked about to hug the servant around the legs, which happened to be an experience that the servant was not too keen on having.

The servant involuntarily stepped back a pace or two, and glanced briefly to Musashi and Nyaasu who continued only to watch their strange friend without interference for the moment. Once more he turned to Kojiro.

"I would not be too excited, Kojiro-san," said the servant. "You're parents have been shamed by this. The family came in person to … er, discuss their … disappointment."

"Her parents and his parents started beating the crap out of each other?" asked Musashi.

"The master and lady of the house do not 'beat the crap' out of anyone," retorted the servant, "and I'm not at liberty to go into the details of the meeting."

Kojiro lowered his head.

"Does this mean they don't want to see me?" he asked timidly.

"No," said the servant simply. "I'm certain they will still be happy that you've returned, merely disappointed at how long you have taken."

And with a proper nod, the servant withdrew, taking flight up the staircase until he disappeared.

Closing his eyes, Kojiro let out a heavy sigh, his shoulders sagging and his brows knitting into a horrid knot. Then he lurched forward at a sudden clinking sound behind him. Spinning around, he saw Musashi and Nyaasu squabbling over something and pushing each other away.

"What are you doing?" Kojiro demanded.

A chink of something fell from their hands and bounced upon the freshly-waxed, marble floor as Musashi and Nyaasu turned to him with eyes popping out of their heads.

With a very faint growl, Kojiro turned away, not wishing to know where the chunk had come from or what they had broken.

"Now look what you did, nya!" Nyaasu hissed. "You made him upset!"

"What I did?" Musashi hissed back. "You're the one who broke it."

"I did ny-ot, nya!" Nyaasu returned.

"Please, you guys," Kojiro begged. "Not now. I'm in trouble enough as it is."

#

Upstairs, the servant who had happened upon the trio, now knocked lightly upon a door where the master and lady happened to be.

A light reply called him to enter, and the servant, carefully opened the door to the little parlor of a room. The master and lady had been sitting on a sofa writing something down on a list of some kind, but the paper now lay flat on the table in front of them with the quill pen and ink near at hand.

"What is it, Shino?" asked the Mr. Niwa.

"Jiro-san, Mako-san," said the servant with a low and humble bow. "Your son has returned from his … excursions, and is waiting in the front hall downstairs. Should I allow him up to see you?"

NOTE: I had to make up names for his parents and I don't know his last name in Japanese so I had to make that up too.

Japanese phrase courtesy of my Japanese learning sister is

tadaima: (roughly) I'm back