JACQUELINE! Three words! CAT. DUET. REFERENCES! Oh, and I also made this chapter very gushy and cliche. Just for you ; )
Anyways to all normal people reading this; this is chapter 4 of my story. One more chapter before completion! Yay me! =D
The four of them walked back into the small church smiling from ear to ear. They scanned the room in search of Katisha and Koko, and found the two of them at the very back.
Katisha was again in tears, sobbing at Koko's feet.
"PLEASE KOKO! WE WERE ABOUT TO BE MARRIED! PLEASE DON'T DO THIS TO ME! PLEAAASSSEEE!! PLEAAASE!!!!"
"Katisha, please sit up! You're making a scene!"
"BUT MY OWN FIANCE IS ABOUT TO BEHEAD ME!"
Koko put a hand to his face and sighed exasperatedly. "Katisha, will you calm down? This isn't a big deal."
"NOT A BIG DEAAALLL??? OH! SO I SUPPOSE IF I WERE TO BEHEAD YOU WOULDN'T REACT IN THE EXACT SAME FAHSION AS I??"
"Hello Koko!" Pitti-Sing sang out, approaching the two with her two sisters and Nanki-Poo.
"Ah, my wards! You're exactly who I need to talk to right now! Come, come, Katisha, up you get," he helped the sobbing Katisha to her feet, "Here now, Yum, Peep, and Pitti will accompany you home, and the four of you will have some tea. Then we'll all go to bed early, and everything will be okay in the morning. How does that sound?"
Katisha sniffled, and stopped her crying, for thoughts of tea and hot bath was appealing. But Yum-Yum on the other hand was not pleased.
She said nothing but helped her two sisters in whisking Katisha away out the front doors of the church. Just as they were about to start down the path towards their home however, Yum-Yum could keep silent no longer and blurted out, "NO! We can't do this!"
Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo looked at her as if she was nuts, and Katisha slunk to the ground from lack of support under her.
"Can't do what?" Pitti-Sing inquired.
"This! We can't just kill her!"
"Yum-Yum, quit raining on everybody's parade. No one wants her alive."
"Pitti! Don't say such a thing! I mean, after all, she is about to be married, isn't she? So, Koko must want her at least half alive!"
Peep-Bo whimpered a little bit behind Pitti-Sing, who had heard her and said, "Well, what about Peep? She's in love with Koko too! If this… this thing," she gestured to the blubbering Katisha, "gets spared then they'll never be together."
To that, Yum-Yum had no response except to say, "Well, I'm also a newlywed, and…well, life is great!"
Pitti-Sing put her hands on her hips and said, "Life is great? Don't you mean the se-"
"Pitti-Sing!!" Peep-Bo said, covering her ears. Fore she was, by far, the most innocent.
Yum-Yum blushed, "Yes, well, that's good too, but I'm much happier now that I'm married. Anyone could see that. In good conscience I couldn't kill Katisha! Not after being married myself…"
Pitti-Sing looked over at her sister Peep-Bo, who was looking at Katisha with a new light in her eyes.
"Yum's right, Pitti. We can't kill her…"
Pitti-Sing let out an exasperated sigh and proclaimed, "Well, if everyone's turning into marshmallows then, FINE! Don't kill her! But how do you propose we go about stopping this then?"
Her remark had the three little maids dumbfounded. After all, there really was no stopping the Mikado, now was there?
"Wait a minute! Nanki-Poo is the Mikado's own son! And he got him to change his mind before, didn't he? So why couldn't he do it again?" Peep-Bo said.
"Hey, that's a good point, sis!" Pitti-Sing said who was now reluctantly onboard with the plan.
"I don't know girls… He is the Mikado's son and all…but I don't know if it's too late to change his mind now. I mean, he is rather intimidating…" Yum-Yum said.
"He is…"
"Elect…"
"Girls!" Katisha bellowed.
The girls had actually forgotten about the cow that was blubbering on the floor, and was startled when she finally spoke.
"Girls! I'm loving this plan so far…but how on earth are you going to get to him?"
"Oh… I hadn't thought of that," said Yum-Yum.
"Obviously…" said Katisha, who in that moment sounded – and slightly resembled – a certain Hogwarts teacher with a particular fear of shampoo…
"Wait a minute! Pooh-Bah can run fast with his scrawny legs, can't he? He can help us!" Pitti-Sing declared.
"Running? You mean we're going to have to hike to the Mikado's palace way up there, in the mountains?" Peep-Bo said. She hated the outdoors.
"Yes, there's no other way! What do you say Yum?"
"I say let's do it." Yum-Yum always liked a challenge. "But, we're going to have to leave right away if we're to make it there by noon tomorrow!"
"Yes, you're quite right… well, we'll have to bring along the boys then, won't we?"
"The boys? Who does that include?" ask Peep-Bo.
"Nanki-Poo!" Yum-Yum blurted out.
"Yes, him," agreed Pitti-Sing, "And Koko most likely…he's the only one that could keep the cow at bay…and obviously Pooh-Bah."
Peep-Bo giggled, and Pitti-Sing shot her an evil glare before breaking into a grin herself.
"Wait a minute, we're bringing her?" Peep-Bo motioned to Katisha, who was still huddled on the floor, crying.
"Uh..yeah, that wouldn't be a good idea…"
"Yes, let's leave her behind! Great plan, sis!"
"Right then we'll leave her at home. But we'd better get going! Come on girls!" Yum-Yum declared.
They gathered up Katisha and began their way back to the old church.
Once they arrived, they found Koko and told him of their plan. He was immensely happy about the prospect – which saddened Peep-Bo – and joined with them to find Nanki-Poo and Pooh-Bah.
Yum-Yum told Nanki-Poo, who, as always, was willing to do anything to please his wife.
Pitti-Sing tried to talk to Pooh-Bah about their plan, but he ran away holding up the hem of his robe and squealing in a high pitched voice, "Ahhh!! Young person! Young person! Ahhhh!!!" So in the end, Koko had to brief him about their excursion.
Within half an hour, the group of six was ready to leave, and they set off in the direction of the mountains.
The first half of their trip was uneventful, but as the day grew into night, the group began to grow weary.
"Are we there yet?" Pitti-Sing called out.
"Do you see a palace anywhere?" countered Peep-Bo who was peevish from the long hike.
"Now girls, don't fret, we'll take a break soon," Nanki-Poo said soothingly. He clasped hands with Yum-Yum and helped her along her way. She smiled up at him, happy that he was there to keep the peace.
"Peep, have you any water?" Pitti-Sing inquired.
"For the hundredth time! No! I don't have any water! You drank it all the last time you asked me!"
"Excuse me for being thirsty then!"
"You're excused."
"How dare you!" Pitti-Sing rushed over to her sister and yanked on her hair.
Peep-Bo let out a shriek and yanked on Pitti-Sing's hair. Then, in seeking revenge, Pitti-Sing began clawing at Peep-Bo, and Peep-Bo soon began clawing at her sister. Then, in a spur of the moment sort of thing, both sisters started hissing and acting like diva cats.
"For heavens' sakes girls!" shout Koko, "Enough already!"
He stood between the two, trying to break up the clawing.
"HISSS!!!" was his reply.
Koko rolled his eyes, but persisted in trying to stop the girls' cat fight. Upon seeing that Koko was making no difference, Nanki-Poo soon came over and began yanking on Pitti-Sing's arm to get her off of her sister – but to no avail.
Then, upon seeing that both men were getting absolutely nowhere in stopping this situation, Pooh-Bah stomped his foot and clapped his hands once.
The noise from Pooh-Bah surprised both Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo and both stopped clawing each other's faces and jumped back from each other.
When they realized what fools they made of themselves they began apologizing profusely.
"I'm sorry! What was I thinking?"
"No, I'm sorry! What was I thinking?"
"No… me. I'm sorry.
"No, me!"
"ME!"
"ME!!!"
"GIRLS!" Pooh-Bah bellowed.
The girls stood erect, and looked straight ahead, clearly frightened by Pooh-Bah's outburst.
"As in a month…er…12 hours we've got to go if Nanki-Poo tells us true. T'were empty compliment to cry 'I'm sorry!' to you! And as a month…er…12 hours you've got live as a fellow citizen, this toast with 3 plus 3 shall give!" in another spur of the moment sort of thing, Pooh-Bah burst open the front of his robe and flashed the other five with his black pants and black shirt.
Pitti-Sing gasped and covered her eyes, as did Koko and Nanki-Poo, who also covered Yum-Yum's eyes, but Peep-Bo's eyes opened wide and she looked on while fanning herself with her hand.
Noticing Peep-Bo's not-so-innocent reaction, Pitti-Sing pushed her sister to make her stop looking. She gave Peep-Bo's shoulder a royal shove, which promptly stopped her gazing.
"Pooh-Bah…would you mind doing up your clothes?" Koko asked, evidently uncomfortable at the exposed Pooh-Bah standing in front of him.
"Koko, I'm fully dressed under here…" Pooh-Bah said with an air of being insulted.
Koko chanced a glance at Pooh-Bah and found him to indeed be wearing clothes, and relaxed his tense posture. Nanki-Poo removed his hand from Yum-Yum's eyes as well, and took her hand once more.
"Well, Pooh-Bah said it so eloquently, we've only got 12 hours to climb this mountain, so we'd better get going."
Everyone agreed with Nanki-Poo, and they once again began their journey.
They continued on in silence for a good few hours of their journey, and walked until well into the night. Finally, Koko declared that they would take a few hours for a break so everyone could sleep.
Since none of them had brought pillows or blankets, they used the three little maids' scarves and leaves for beds. Once they were all snuggled and ready for bed, Koko decreed that anyone who talks would be executed along with Katisha and, of course, that just made everyone want to talk more because everyone knew he wasn't serious.
When he thought everybody else was asleep, Pooh-Bah sat up. He looked over at his right, and there was lying Pitti-Sing, who looked so peaceful when she was sleeping, that Pooh-Bah had the urge to stroke her cheek.
He looked around to make sure no one was awake before reaching out to Pitti-Sing and stroking the length of her jaw. He thought he saw her eyelids flutter, but he could've been wrong.
"What was that for?" Pitti-Sing suddenly whispered, joining him in sitting.
Startled, Pooh-Bah stood and hurried away and into the brush.
Exasperated, Pitti-Sing followed him, and found him standing on a rock far into the trees.
"Why are you standing on a rock…?" she asked.
"Uh…because rocks are…well, they're just rocks," he answered back.
"All right then…"
There was a slight pause, where Pooh-Bah struggled to find words to voice what he was thinking.
"Uh, Pitti-Sing?"
"Yes?"
"Uh…why did you follow me? And why were you awake?"
"You woke me up when you touched my face. It scared me a little…"
"Sorry about that. Scarring you…scaring you! I meant scaring you…!"
Pitti-Sing giggled. Pooh-Bah's awkwardness was fairly amusing.
"It's all right. I wasn't really asleep anyways," she said.
"You didn't answer my first question…" he whispered.
Pitti-Sing furrowed her eyebrows. Pooh-Bah was really, really, really strange during the day, but during the night he was REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY! insane.
"Um, I guess I followed you because you never talk to me…and… I don't know. I thought that maybe you would now…"
To that Pooh-Bah said nothing, but kept his back turned to her. It was easier for him to talk to a little girl if he wasn't looking directly at them he found.
Pitti-Sing found Pooh-Bah's silence really disheartening and said, "I guess I was wrong though… so I'll just go back to bed now…"
She turned around and began walking back towards the camp. When she was about halfway there, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
Startled, she turned around and looked into the face of a very distressed Pooh-Bah.
"Yes?" she breathed.
It looked like he was struggling for words, or at least, struggling to say words, so she waited for him to speak.
Pooh-Bah suddenly chickened out and turned his back to her, which threw Pitti-Sing off.
"What are you doing?" she asked.
"It's easier for me to talk to little girls when I'm not looking at them…"
Pitti-Sing doubled over laughing at him, forgetting that she might wake the rest of the people at camp.
"That's funny to you?" Pooh-Bah asked with his back still to her.
She managed to get hold of herself enough to say "Yes!"
Pooh-Bah noticed that she was wiping away tears from her eyes because she was laughing so hard at him. He then noticed that he felt funny inside – but only when he looked at Pitti-Sing.
He opened his eyes wide in realization at what he was feeling and tried to slip away from Pitti-Sing without her noticing.
Unfortunately his plan was spoiled when he heard her call out, "Pooh-Bah! Where are you going?"
"Oh! I was just…um…just…"
"Were you running away from me again?"
"No! I … I just wanted…."
"Shush."
"Uh…what?"
"Don't talk…"
"Uh…Why?"
"Because…" Pitti-Sing touched her lips to his, much to the surprise of Pooh-Bah who had never kissed a girl before, even though his abnormally large sideburns were quite hot.
"That's why," she said contentedly before turning around and casually walking back towards camp.