There was a medium sized house in the middle of the woods, just by an even larger one. A man with a pair of glasses came out, holding a red water pitcher in his hands, hoping to water the flowers that were outside. He was humming when a young man wearing a red parrot suit came, flying down from the sky.
"MAIL CALL!" he shrieked through a small microphone that was connected to his ear.
Toshiya looked up and with a smile, he greeted, "Oh, Mr. Gil, how are you today?"
The young man sighed, pulling out an envelope from his brown satchel, which was hanging from his left wing.
"Fit as a fiddle…" Seung-Gil muttered as his face just as happy as a cactus—couldn't obviously care less. He handed the envelope to Toshiya, who blinked at it.
"Oh, who is this from?" he asked, after looking up from it.
"Not aware—that's what the label is for…" Seung-Gil muttered, flapping away, his multi-colored feather glowing in the morning sun.
Toshiya grunted, walking away from the porch after he watched Seung-Gil fly away. "Honestly, his ignorance is going to get the best of him."
He walked into his house, looking at the envelope; from the kitchen, Hiroko noticed her husband and walked over to him.
"Oh, what is it, dear?" as she went over to his side.
"This came in right now… oh!" the man peeped. "It's from that boy, addressed to Yuuri!"
"Yuuri!" Toshiya chirped to his son, who was somewhere in the house. "You got a message from your friend!"
"Yuuri! Where are you?" the man called out again.
There was a shuffle coming from the hallway, and a teenage boy appeared. He looked about fifteen, a little round, but his dark blue shirt helped cover his belly.
"Yes?" he asked in a rather soft voice.
"You got a letter from that boy Phichit, here, I'll read it." Toshiya offered, opening the envelope.
"Dear Yuuri,
You know that I'm on vacation right now with Ciao-Ciao right now, so I'll just get to the point.
Like, remember how you said, that you'd like to travel around the world if you had a good reason? Well THIS IS IT! This is your chance, Yuuri! Like, while I was like traveling, I found this map that supposed to lead this old treasure, and since it'd be like hard to find it myself, I figured you could join and help me find it! You wouldn't want to spend the whole summer at your house, right? Please, please, come over! I put the map in here, sooo, I'll be waiting!
-Phichit."
"Well, what do you know," Toshiya told, Mari had just come out of the bathroom, wondering what all of the commotion was about. "Not only did he actually present a map in this thing," he pulled out a brown, worn out, piece of paper. "I guess he must be feeling homesick, wherever he is."
"He wants me to join him on some adventure?" Yuuri pondered.
"Oh, I don't know about it," Hiroko began, gently taking the map and looking at it. She put a hand to her chest, seeing that there were seven locations drawn upon it.
"This seems like an awful lot for Yuuri to go through." She fretted.
Yuuri pouted, folding his arms. "Phichit doesn't have anyone to spend time with his age…"
"Oh, dear, just because it's seven locations, doesn't mean it's too much trouble. After all, summer just started. "Remember that one time we traveled to that one town back a couple of years ago? We spent three weeks there?" Toshiya raised his brows to her, smiling.
"Oh, dear, they set the bridge on fire," Hiroko told, though rather sweetly to not hurt him. "And you broke your arm trying to jump over, wanting to get help." Mari cringed, wondering why.
"S-Still, it shouldn't happen to our Yuuri or Mari." Toshiya countered, lightly rubbing his son's head. "Plus, Yuuri would need some life experience, right boy?"
Yuuri shrugged. "I—I guess. I did tell Phichit…" He didn't know about this either—what if it was just another of Phichit's jokes?
"See, dear? Nothing to worry about at all," he assured his wife. "Mari, maybe you should go along as well."
"Wait, why me?" Mari pointed to herself.
"You have been talking about that strange guy that has been bothering you since elementary, so maybe it would be a nice get-away from him too!" Toshiya told.
Mari hummed, remembering about a certain young man that wouldn't stop bothering her, from putting gum in her hair or forcibly trying to take her piercings off. "That is true…" as she touched the middle hoop piercing on her left ear.
"Oh, there might be many reasons, but Toshiya are you still sure about this?" Hiroko asked him.
"Of course, dear," Toshiya told her. The woman sighed, "Of course, fine. Only, where is Phichit's location right now? Darn it, the name leaves me!" She had only heard it twice while serving Lord Cialdini his dinner a few nights ago.
"Let me see…" Yuuri gently took the letter. "Oh, he said that he's in a town called King's Pot."
"Oh, well, that's only a day on a boat," Hiroko pointed out. She smiled. "Well, if there's no trouble… then I allow my children to go on an adventure."
Mari walked away from her family. "Oh well, might as well get ready for the journey. Coming Yuuri?" she beckoned her brother, facing looking deadpanned as she walked into their room.
Yuuri tilted his glasses up, following his sister. He was nervous, never once he had ever ridden on a boat for a long period of time—let alone overnight, or gone anywhere without his parents, especially to some far off land, but it was for Phichit.
What could go wrong?
The kids had their bags packed up, clothes, toiletries, and even their saved up money just in case if they wanted to buy anything at King's Port. The next boat to King's Port would be living the next morning, so Mari and Yuuri waited until. When morning arrived, the Katsuki family walked out to the docks that were several ways away from the house, where they waited for the boat to be ready to set sail.
There was a honk, and a sailor appeared from the boat that was painted white and blue.
"Setting sail for King's Port!" he called out. Mari and Yuuri raised their hands up as Hiroko and Toshiya were standing right behind them.
"Oh, a bunch of kids?" the sailor pointed out. "You sure you want to send a bunch of kids to a rugged place such as King's Port?"
Hiroko gasped. "Rugged? Oh, I'm not so sure about this," she said.
"We're on our way to meet someone there," Mari stated rather bluntly to her sailor.
"Oh seriously? Well, even with the rugged stories about the place, I won't stop you. Be prepared to embark!" he called out.
After the kids picked up their bags, they hugged their parents, goodbye—Yuuri hugging his mother first and Mari doing the same but with her father. After they switched, Mari and Yuuri were on the boat, with their parents waving goodbye.
"Be careful, you two!" Hiroko cried out.
"We love you!" Toshiya cried out.
Yuuri was waving back at them, standing at the back of the boat. Mari turned away, pulling out a spare cigarette from the mazes of what is her hair. She lit up, causing her brother to turn away.
He had a brow raised at her, wondering if that was the best thing to do. He was pretty sure that smoking was not allowed on boats such as these.
Mari shrugged, "What? Dad hardly ever lets me smoke and this is my best chance."
Yuuri sighed, walking away from the back. He walked into the cabin of the boat, just wondering. How did Phichit require the map? Yuuri pulled it out from it his pocket, as his father had told him to store it in a safe place. Who did he get it from? Yuuri rubbed his chin as he stared at it. Does Lord Cialdini even know about this? He would be sure to know once he and his sister got to King's Port.
The sun was out the next morning, with Yuuri yawning as Mari was talking to the sailor. The docks they arrived looked very similar to the docks that they've read in storybooks, dirty, some almost destroyed, with at least one seagull around. There was a large set of stairs leading to an arc, which probably lead to the town known as King's Port.
As Yuuri scratched the back of his head, hanging onto his suitcase—the sailor told, "Alright, if you say that someone is waiting for you here, I won't stop you two. But do be warned, there are some things here that are a force to reckon here."
Mari stepped off the boat, telling him, "Will do, later!" she waved back to him.
The boat turned away from the dock, leaving the two siblings behind.
"So this King's Port," Mari noted, as Yuuri turned side to side. "Funny I imagine it having a huge fountain in the middle."
"We should get to Phichit as soon as possible," Yuuri told his sister.
"He did tell you the address right?" Mari demanded.
Yuuri rubbed the back of his head, but before he could answer, they both heard a cry.
"Hey, what are you doing? Lay off you big meanie!" cried a boy. He had blonde and red hair, wearing a khaki explorer's outfit, with a long sword tied on his back. His cheeks were puffed out, hands on his hips.
What came before him, was a guy, a little younger than Mari, with blonde and brown hair. He had two mean looking people behind, donning on black cloaks with red gas-masks on their faces.
"Why should I? You're the one who's been going around town, asking for information about the Seven Shining Rings! So right where you are, you little turd!" the blond called out.
The boy folded his arms, shaking his head at him. "Never ever, forever!"
"Hmm, looks like someone trying to act like a stubborn little monkey! Gentlemen, we're taking this little rascal back to home base, so get him now!"
The two men behind him saluted him, "Yes Sir Christophe, sir!"
As the two men surrounded the young boy, the latter cried out, "Hey, what are you doing! LAY OFF! I'll scream, I'm being honest!"
Yuuri cupped his mouth as Mari was gobsmacked. "What the? Why is that guy going after that kid?"
Yuuri shrugged but something in his mind told him they should probably step up. After all, Yuuri was a victim of teasing as much as his sister Mari, so he walked up behind the young blonde. Mari jolted, fearful of her brother, following suit.
The small blonde sensed the two people that were backing him up and scurried right behind them.
"Alright, let's see if you can get to me now, turd!" the small blonde used Sir Christophe's word against him.
The man grunted, "Say what are you dorks doing! Ain't no one stopping me from doing my job!"
That made Mari frown, her hands evolving into claws as she stared intently with distaste at him. "Excuse me? Who are calling dorks? Ya undercut wearing doof? You ask me, your head looks like an acorn from here!"
Yuuri whimpered. He had never seen this from his sister before.
"A-A-Acorn!?" Sir Christophe muttered, holding his head. How dare she make fun of his fabulous hairdo; it took his stylist five hours to get this piece of hot beauty on his head. "Sister, you know who you're dealing with? It looks like it's time to unleash the Intoxicated attack on you!"
Mari raised one brow, her face completely empty. "What?" The man and his cronies marched over to her and to Yuuri and the younger boy.
The entire scene changed. Mari, Yuuri, and the small boy were on one side and Sir Christophe and his cronies were on the other side. Mari and Yuuri turned around, just confusing about their surroundings. Yuuri looked at the boy, asking what was going on.
"Oh, you see whenever you engage in a battle with someone else, the entire scene changes as if you were on a stage with other people watching, like a play!" the young boy explained. "It's how the customs around here are. Not many people get to do things like this; it takes a certain courage to."
"Courage?" Mari demanded from the young boy. "Battle? You mean I have to fight this guy?!" she had never been in an actual combat before. "B-But we don't even have any weapons on us to fight this guy!"
The small boy waved his hand. "Oh it's easy, for beginners you just to do some jumps and punches, then you upgrade to weapons!"
"Punches you say… well, I suppose it wouldn't hurt!" Mari muttered.
"Are ya'll going to fight me now? Just the sight of you guys chattin' cramps my style!" Sir Christophe sassily told.
"HOW'S THIS FOR STYLE!?" Mari cried, sending her fist into both of the man's eyes.
"Nice punch!" the boy commented, smiling. Yuuri shrugged as if to agree.
"OW!" Sir Christophe cried. "Hey, that wasn't cool of you!" he stomped his foot. The guy's cronies came to his rescue and jumped on Mari, causing her to cry out in pain. Yuuri gasped. No!
The boy gasped. "Oh no," he told Yuuri, "You gotta go to her rescue, you can't let those guys win! They're bad news!"
Yuuri thought he could try, so with his mouth stiff, he ran over to Sir Christophe and jumped on his chest, and then again, and again. That was for hurting his sister, and that was to help out his sister take him down.
The man howled out twice. He fell on his bottom, being feeling defeated by this kid. He spat, smirking right at him. "You got some sort of spark in you, boy, I'll give you that but, I've another rebuttal for you and your little buddies!" he purred.
Oddly, they appeared in the old format again as if nothing happened, with Sir Christophe standing straight up again. He pulled out a button from his back pocket, holding it right up, "See how you'll like this!" he pressed it.
Out of the blue, many cronies dressed as the way was the blonde appeared, maybe in tens. or in hundreds.
Yuuri looked around, taking them all in. Alright, things were getting weirder. How were they all able to appear just like that? There was nothing but walls and water right around them.
"Alright, come on them!" the blonde cried out, pointing to the trio.
Yuuri silently shrieked, swinging his arms up and about as Mari jaw-dropped. The boy held onto the hilt of his katana. The cronies jumped in the air and like specks of wood burning, they landed all over them. There was laughing coming from them, as some minor screams and gripes could be heard from the trio.
"Oh there all over the place!" Yuuri carped as if there were spiders crawling.
"Yuuri! Where are you?! Hang onto me!" his older sister beckoned, looking through the massive of cronies that wanted to hurt them. She looked around for that other boy, "Hey, kid with the sword, do you know a way out this?"
"Course, this way!" he beckoned.
He managed to lead the siblings away from the crowd, with Yuuri rubbing his arms and Mari out of breath. The boy, on the other hand, looked almost completely fine, as if he had been spared from the ordeal.
"Everyone okay? If yes, let's leave this area!" The boy told them, darting off to the main plaza.
The two siblings didn't need to hear anything from him twice, them following suit.
"Wait, wait, toxic force, come right off!" Sir Christophe waved his arms around, and soon everyone was still.
The man looked both ways, looking for those darn three. When his search was unsuccessful, he huffed, crossing his arms and pouting. "Ugh, they're gone!"
The three were standing in front of the V-shaped apparatus, Mari rubbing her head.
"Wow, you guys really gave it to that guy, I'm so happy!" the boy squeed like a fangirl. "I have to give you a reward!"
"Oh, that's just fine—" Mari dismissed his offer. "But we'd really like to know your name though, kid."
"Oh…" the boy pursed his lips. He padded his chest and stated, "My name is Kenjirou Minami, and I'm a student at the school of archaeology. What are your names?"
"My name is Mari and this is my brother Yuuri." She told him. "We were asked to come here by Yuuri's friend, Phichit, who sent us thing… do you have it, Yuuri?" she looked at her brother.
Yuuri nodded, reaching into his back pocket.
"Whoa, what's that?" Kenjirou leaned in closer.
Kenjirou let out another squee as if something got into his throat and to both siblings chagrin. "Could that be?" as Yuuri held out the map, which the young student drooled at.
"You all found the map to the Seven Shining Rings?!" Kenjirou questioned them.
"Seven Shining Rings?" Mari asked.
"Yeah, it said to lead to this legendary treasure underneath our feet; as to why I'm here," Kenjirou explained.
Yuuri looked like a question mark appeared above his head, then coming figure that was what lead to that scuffle with that acorn-headed fool. Just as Yuuri nodded, a fourth voice came into the conversation.
"Well, if it isn't Mrs. Katsuki's offspring," told Lord Cialdini. His hair was done up as always, walking up to them. "It's odd meeting you two kids here, what would your mother think about this? Why are you here?" he asked, sounding as if he were in a hurry.
Yuuri told him that it was Phichit who asked them to come here.
"Phichit asked you to come here?!" he beckoned, his hair going up.
"Speaking of whom, where is he?" Mari asked.
"I've been looking for that little devil all morning!" Lord Cialdini waved his arms around.
Yuuri sighed; Phichit was at it again—running off on his own.
"I swear— I walked into his room this morning and he was gone out of thin air! I looked and saw that one of the floorboards were off by his bed, making me think that he was probably taken, or worse!"
"Whoa, whoa, hold on there, Lordo," Mari stepped up to him, holding her hand out. "What could be worse than Phichit getting taken?"
Lord Cialdini grunted, almost unamused at her comment, before stating, in a paranoid way, "Him getting stuck in a room with no oxygen—or getting crushed by a huge boulder."
Yuuri rubbed his head, "Hm, him being able to remove some floorboards would be far-fetched, I mean, he's only twelve, it'd take him quite a while to get that job done…"
Lord Cialdini was crestfallen, "Oh, I feel that you may be correct—that he might've been taken instead!"
Mari raised her brow, you think? But somehow she felt pity, who would take the kid other than being on his own sometimes?
"As much as I could start a search for the boy, my work desires my attention. I leave this task to you children, farewell." The man walked off, going to a path that was on the right.
"That's it?" Yuuri muttered.
"Oh so he left the job to you all?" Kenjirou turned to the siblings.
"Apparently so," Mari snorted.
"Well if that's the case, then I know somewhere we can do research on the map," Kenjirou pointed out.
"The library?" Mari pointed out.
"The one and only!" Kenjirou fluttered his eyelashes, holding his leg up as if he were getting kissed.
"Follow me!" the boy beckoned, trotting away like a magical pixie. Mari looked at Yuuri, who only shrugged and calmly followed Kenjirou.
The young woman only closed her eyes, putting her hands behind her head. Just one day in, and they managed to make one new friend… and a new enemy.
I'd like to thank: legendofzeldarocks, TrueSapphire, and Child at Heart Forever for inspiring me to write this. Your fics are amazing— especially to you, legendofzeldarocks. I'm not ripping anything off, please, I just love this so much that I want to do my own take on the PM fanfic universe. Best of luck to you three, wherever you are.
To my other readers, be sure to review. I'm hoping to get a lot of work done before I go on a few days off, weeks from now.
MA6.
