Chapter 4

After a few more days, the company came across the remains of a farmhouse and on Thorin's order, unpacked for the night.

Hopping off his horse, Kotetsu made his way over to help his uncle get the supplies for dinner. He was just unpacking the cooking pot when Gandalf stormed past him, "Gandalf-san, where…you going?"

"To seek the only company here that is reasonable!", was his reply

"And who would that be?" Bilbo called after him

"Myself!"

"He's coming back right?" Bilbo asked Kotetsu, but Kotetsu only made a face and shrugged.

"Right?" Bilbo turned to the dwarf closest to him, but again only received a shrug.

By the time dinner had been made, Gandalf still had not returned. Kotetsu watched as his uncle fretted, and was eventually told to take two bowls of food to Fíli and Kíli.

Kotetsu had taken up residence on one of the rocks, quietly eating his dinner and thinking over what he had been told once more. Thorin was the one thing Kotetsu admired the most, a hero. He had slain the bad guy and won the war, but…somehow it didn't seem right. It felt too…real.

After he had finished his dinner, Kotetsu decided it was time to go look for his uncle, who had not yet returned. Placing his bowl down on the rock where he had been sitting, he set off in the direction he had seen his uncle go. When the horses came into view, it was immediately apparent that something was wrong.

Two trees had been overturned and his uncle and the twins were missing. He looked around, making his way to one of the overturned trees. Climbing on top of it to see if he could see better, he spotted a light. Hopping off, he walked at a quick, quiet pace to where he was beginning to hear arguing.

His brows furrowed when he didn't recognize the voices. Kotetsu marched forward intent on finding his uncle and companions, but he was met with a strange sight. 3 large…Orcs? Bilbo had told Kotetsu stories about these brute-like giants and they were hovered over a cauldron. One had an apron on and was stirring whatever was in it. Another had some kind of blade, and the last one…Kotetsu stopped when he noticed not only how ugly they were, but how much bigger they were than him, and he immediately ducked behind a tree. His body began to shake.

Now, Kotetsu was very accustomed to fear, he experienced it most everyday back in his hometown. There was always somebody yelling death threats at him and he always hid under his bed, scared they would carry the threat out, but somehow this was more real. There! That word again.

Kotetsu was confused. Why was it…that everything in this world felt more real, like he had just woken up from a dream…no, a nightmare into this new world.

Back home that was all they had been, just threats and eventually he became used to the idea of death, seeing as he had so little to live for. But now he had an uncle and friends, somewhere along the road he had begun to fear death again.

Kotetsu was startled out of his thoughts by his uncle's voice.

"No! No, I swear no others are hiding…anywhere."

"He's lying!" He heard one of the giants growl

"Hold his toes over the fire, make him squeal!" another said

Kotetsu looked over and saw his uncle in the clutches of one of the giants, and they were threatening him. Kotetsu didn't like bullies, he could stand them when it was just he, but others were off limits. But then, what could he do? He doubted his tiger form would do much good, and his powers. He had only ever shown his uncle (on accident), the tiger part, but he had still accepted Kotetsu. What would he think?

His thoughts were interrupted once again, but this time by the cry of the dwarfs as they rushed into battle. Kotetsu watched in amazement as they took the giants head on. Even when the giants were so much bigger than them, they still fought.

Kotetsu, fascinated, decided that he wanted to help, but still wasn't quite sure how. It wasn't until two of the giants caught his uncle and threatened to rip his limbs off did Kotetsu make his decision.

He snuck quickly and quietly behind the giants, a learned skill from being surrounded by hobbits. Giving himself a quick pep talk and crossing his fingers, Kotetsu activated his Hundred-Power. As the dwarfs were throwing down their weapons, Kotetsu jumped out and kicked one of the giants' knees.

The giant screamed in pain and let go of Bilbo, in favor of clutching his knee instead. The other giant looked down at the now glowing Kotetsu. Kotetsu glared at him and pointed at the ground like his mother did when Kotetsu picked up something he shouldn't have, "Drop. Him."

Bewildered, the giant stumbled back a few steps.

"Make me!" he said growing bolder, and Kotetsu jumped up and socked him in the face. The giant dropped the hobbit, again in favor of clutching his wound. Poor Bilbo landed flat on his butt and the dwarfs, having picked their weapons back up, jumped back into the fight.

Kotetsu rushed to his uncle's side and flailed his arms around, not knowing what to do. "Oji-san! Oji-san, daijōbu?"

Then, he flinched at the stench coming from him.

"Oji-san anata wa garakuta no yōna nioi."

Noticing Kotetsu's wrinkled nose, Bilbo managed to get the gist of what he was saying.

"It's not my fault!" he cried, then blinked "By the way, how did you do that?"

Kotetsu's face suddenly dropped, "Soreha...gwah!"

One of the giants, that somehow escaped the fight, had grabbed Kotetsu by his legs and lifted him up.

"Kotetsu!" Bilbo cried and the dwarfs stopped what they were doing.

"Ōi, Ōi! Watashi o anata no shibō no OAF-ka ni oku!" Kotetsu yelled at the gaint arms swinging wildly.

"Oaf? Oaf! Did he just call me an oaf? Did you just call me an oaf?" the giant shouted

"Anata wa, nani o orokada to omoimasu ka?" Kotetsu crossed his arms and glared

"I'm pri'y sure tha's a yes," the giant with an apron said, pointing his finger at the unhappy 14-year old.

In retaliation, Kotetsu bit his finger.

"Ow! Why you little…" the giant ground out

Snatching Kotetsu out of the other giant's hand, the giant threw him into the forest, where he hit a tree with a sickening crack. Then, fell to the floor with a thud, unmoving.

"Kotetsu!" Bilbo cried out again

"Aw, now look at what you've done. Gone and killed him, you idiot! We could have used him!" The third giant cried snatching up the nearest dwarf.

The blue glow that surrounded Kotetsu went out leaving the forest seemingly much more darker.

"Now then, you'll do as I say or this one loses his head."

Bilbo hadn't registered much of anything past seeing his nephew's body hit the ground and the next thing he knew, he was in a potato sack. Watching half the company and his nephew's dead body, all tied to a large stick, being cooked by the trolls.

"Itai…" came a whimper from the stake over the fire.

"I don't believe it…" Bilbo whispered

"Hey, laddy! You alive?" the old dwarf called

"Well, would you lookit tha'. The runt's still movin'." the giant with the apron said, turning the stake to cook them all.

"Anata ni wa kansha shite imasen." Kotetsu mumbled

"Who cares if he is? Hurry up and cook 'im. I don't fancy being turned to stone."

"Anata wa bakadesu ka?" Kotetsu asked, thinking quickly

"What's he sayin'?" the third giant asked

"Who cares?" the same giant from before said

"Are…you…idiot?" Kotetsu cleared

"Of course they're idiots lad, they're trolls!" one of the dwarves said

"Nō! With…cooking." Kotetsu clarified once again

Bilbo, catching on fast said, "He's right!"

"Right about what?" The apron troll said

"About cooking! You can't eat these dwarfs."

"And why not?"

"Because…because they have worms!"

"Worms?"

"Yes! They have worms in their…tubes!"

"Tubes?" Kotetsu interrupted

"What are you talkin' about Halfling?" a dwarf shouted

"I don't have worms!" another said

"You have worms!" shouted the dwarf closer to Bilbo

The shouts of denial, made Bilbo roll his eyes. Thorin shoved the dwarves closer to him and they stopped.

"He's right!"

"Yeah, I have worms!"

"I have worms too!"

Kotetsu saw something move out of the corner of his eyes.

Bilbo nodded and the third giant leaned down to get a better look at Bilbo, "And what would you have us do? Let them all go?"

"Well-" Bilbo was cut off by Kotetsu

"Nō!"

"No? What do you mean no?" Kíli shouted

"Secret!" Kotetsu yelled

"Secret?" another dwarf asked

"Oh, I'd like to hear this secret." the third giant said, "Tell us, what it is!"

"Too late!" Kotetsu said with a grin, seeing Gandalf climb up and crack the rock.

The trolls looked to where Kotetsu was looking and were met by the sun.

"Argh!"

"Agh!"

"Eep!"

TBC….

A/N: Please review…or flame. It…it makes me so happy when people review thank you. Help with the Japanese portion is greatly appreciated.

Translations:

Oji-san! Oji-san, daijōbu ? = Uncle! Uncle, are you all right?

Ojisan anata wa garakuta no yōna nioi. = Uncle you smell like crap.

Soreha... = It is…

Gwah! = Actually not Japanese for the silly people that think it is, it's just a sound made when startled. ;-)

Ōi, Ōi! Watashi o anata no shibō no OAF-ka ni oku! = Oi, oi! Put me down you fat oaf!

Anata wa, nani o orokada to omoimasu ka? = What do you think, stupid?

Itai = Ouch

Anata ni wa kansha shite imasen = No thanks to you