The walls of Agrabah had never looked so welcoming to Tohma. He had spent the last few hours straggling back to Agrabah, and had successfully gotten himself lost four times. Caspian had flown home long before Tohma had left the cave. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He adjusted his boa and marched towards the gates of the city. The guards saluted him as he straggled through, having lost the energy to march, and started to head up the road leading to the royal palace.
He still hadn't decided if he wanted to return to the palace right away. Mika was going to kill him for losing the, or her, lamp. He sighed and continued to drag himself up the street. When he reached the stairs leading up the main doors, he looked up and sighed again.
"She's not going to be happy…" he muttered. He started to walk around the palace, heading for one of the back doors. If he came in the front entrance, Mika would know he was back immediately. He glanced around nervously, not wanting to be discovered right away.f
The men standing guard didn't seem to notice him as he rounded the first corner, and he increased his pace. He couldn't shake the feeling of being watched. Ever since he came within sight of the palace, he had felt figurative eyes of the back of his neck. He shuddered and moved on.
Far above, a dark shape shuffled, and continued to watch the man walking below.
"What is that…" Tohma questioned, looking up and shielding his eyes from the early morning sunshine. Up on one of the roofs of the palace, something was moving around. A dark shape seemed to be stalking him. The sun was magnifying its shadow, making it seem much larger than it actually was.
Tohma focused on the task at hand again and continued down the road. He could hear some guards talking and did not want Mika to find out that he had returned yet. He picked up the pace and went scuttling around the next corner. As he was coming around the edge of the palace and nearing the back entrance, something dug a sharp claw into his shoulder and made him scream like a little girl.
"Well howdy." Caspian said in his ear, removing his talons from Tohma's shoulder and shuffling over to his ear. He rubbed his head on Tohma's face for a fraction of a second and then proceeded to groom himself.
"What the hell was that!?" Tohma shrieked, still a little bit scared, but more than anything angry that he had been scared by the likes of Caspian. "You devil parrot…"
"Yeah, that's me." Caspian said, a tail feather stuck in the side of his beak. "What took you so long?"
"I…I…took the long way home. I wanted a change of scenery." Tohma answered matter-of-factly.
"Change of scenery, Tohma? It's a desert." Caspian returned, convinced that he was going to trap Tohma in a lie.
"Well…the sand is different if you-"
"Liar. I bet you got lost, didn't you?" Caspian said with a smirk. "You just couldn't handle life without me, could you?"
"That's enough out of you!" Tohma said, not at all pleased with his parrot. "I can function just fine without you, you insolent bundle of feathers!"
"Hmph. Fine. We'll see about that." Caspian answered, flying off into the distance.
"Great." Tohma said to the empty alleyway. Judging by the parroty cackling he could hear echoing down the street, he was in for some kind of punishment. Caspian was a vengeful pain in the ass. He started to move forward again, and was stopped thirty seconds later by a voice.
"Ah, Tohma-san, you've returned." the voice said, as a shadow moved down the road towards Tohma. "I'll have one of my men alert the Sultana immediately."
"No, no, that's not necessary…" Tohma said, trying to diffuse the situation.
"It's already done, don't worry about it."
"Wonderful…" Tohma said slowly, putting his face in his hands. Through the opening of two of his fingers, he could see the man that had brought about his impending doom. It was Tatsuha. "Ah, Tatsuha."
"Yep. Good to see you're back in one piece. I do have some bad news, however…" Tatsuha answered, putting his arms behind his back and slowly closing the gap between himself and Tohma.
"Bad news?" Tohma asked, scared to know what else plagued his existence.
"Yes…the two prisoners that we apprehended on your orders have…" Tatsuha said, worried about the consequences.
"Have what, Tatsuha?" Tohma said, playing along. He couldn't let anyone know that he was responsible for letting them out and then, hopefully, killing them.
"They've…they have disappeared, sir."
"Disappeared? Why aren't they in the dungeon?" Tohma said, feigning anger.
"Well…we only locked up the dangerous one…the one with the bunny came with me. I was…" Tatsuha answered, not wanting to tell the truth about Ryuichi. He didn't want the rumors of his undying love for the street rat to be confirmed in the presence of the Royal Vizier.
"You were what? Having some fun?" Tohma replied, his dangerous small smile in place.
"No, sir…I was escorting him to his cell." Tatsuha said, surprised at how quickly he had formulated the lie. "He ran off when I turned my head for one second and, well, everyone knows how fast he is…" Tatsuha adjusted his hat and looked up at Tohma with his best smile.
"Alright then. Thank you for telling me." Tohma said back, trying to sound resigned. "How did you know I was back?"
"A little birdie told me so." Tatsuha answered, and Caspian crawled out from underneath Tatsuha's hat and waved at Tohma.
"See? Told ya you couldn't live without me." Caspian said, chortling the entire time. He flew back over to Tohma and gave his thanks to Tatsuha.
"I'm going to get back to my patrol now, sir." Tatsuha interjected, wanting to leave the situation as quickly as possible. He did not want to lose his job for something like this.
"Yes, that's fine. Keep a watchful eye out for the street rats and alert me first if they show up." Tohma returned, looking serious. He didn't want anyone to catch on to him.
"Yes, sir." Tatsuha answered. With that said, he turned back up the road and disappeared into the marketplace of the city.
Tohma sighed and faced the door in front of him. Now that Mika knew he was back, he'd have to report to her immediately. Rather than dealing with an official summons, he opened the door and stalked down the hallway that led to her audience chamber. He threw open the huge double doors and walked up to her throne. He bowed his head, and she dismissed the servants. Now there was no need for formalities.
"Where's my lamp, Tohma?" Mika asked, wanting to see the fruit of her laborious planning.
"Well, about that…" Tohma answered, trying to put off the answer. "You're looking lovely, Mika…"
"Enough of that. Where is my lamp?" Mika snapped, looking impatient. "Let me see it."
"I…I...I sent it off for polishing. It was very dirty from – " Tohma stuttered, offering up any excuse.
"Tohma…" Mika replied, her tone reeking of danger.
"He lost it to the street – " Caspian managed to say before Tohma clamped a hand over his head.
"He's confused, sun sick, doesn't know what he's saying…" Tohma offered, regretting that he had a parrot and not something calmer, like a chia pet.
"You lost my lamp, Tohma?" Mika hissed, getting off of her throne. "YOU LOST MY LAMP!?"
"No, no, of course not!" Tohma answered, backing up.
"Yeah, he lost it." Caspian answered, leaving out the part about the street rats this time. He just wanted Tohma to get in trouble. He didn't want him executed. If that happened, no one would be around to feed him sugary treats.
"WHY DO YOU KEEP FAILING ME?!" Mika screamed, advancing on Tohma.
"I'M SORRY!" Tohma said back, turning around and running.
"Get your ass back here, NOW!" Mika ordered, stamping her foot and crossing her arms. "Now."
In response, Tohma slowly walked back to Mika, bowing his head. She was going to kill him, he could see it now.
"How did you lose it?" Mika asked, her voice deadly serious and quiet.
"I dropped it." Tohma answered, trying to find a way to leave out the street rats. If he told Mika that he had lost them, too, she would have him impaled.
"And what about the prisoner that you took with you?" Mika asked. She didn't like loose ends.
"How did you know –" Tohma said quickly, unaware that Mika knew the finer details of his adventure.
"I know everything, Tohma. A banana was seen entering the dungeon and then leaving said dungeon with the street rat Yuki in tow. Only you would be stupid enough to disguise yourself as a banana." Mika replied.
"It was the Prince's outfit…" Tohma said, trying to make himself look better.
"Don't get me started on him. He has four days left until he has to be married…" Mika said. "And don't try to attribute the dungeon escapade to him, he was with that elephant all night."
"The street rat…is dead." Tohma answered, decided on a version of the truth. He was most likely dead anyway.
"You didn't kill him, did you?" Mika asked. She didn't want to get tangled up in a murder.
"No, he fell. After we got the lamp, he fell back into the cave."
"And you're sure that he's dead?" Mika asked.
"Yes, I'm sure." Tohma answered, after he shot Caspian a look to make sure that his beak was going to stay closed. "Quiet, you…" he hissed at Caspian, being quiet so that Mika wouldn't hear him.
"Good. Now, how are you going to get my lamp back?" Mika said, going back to the main point.
"I'll find a way, Mika, I promise." Said Tohma, trying to instill confidence in the Sultana.
"Sure you will…" Caspian said.
"You had better not fail me this time, Tohma." Mika said as she walked back to her throne. "Our plan will fail without that lamp."
Tohma smiled at Mika's use of the word 'our' and bowed his head slightly to her. She returned the smile and Tohma left the room.
"Wow, you were really sexin' it up in that throne room." Caspian said. The sound of the double doors closing was accompanied by a loud squawk from Caspian; Tohma had smacked him.
"Shut up!" Tohma answered. "We can't be open about our relationship until her rule is solidified. Any hint of a relationship with me, and an investigation will be launched; she'll be finished. That's what she told me."
"Sure, sure…that's just her excuse." Caspian answered, wanting to ruffle Tohma's feathers.
"Knock it off, Caspian!"
"She just doesn't want to have to touch you." Caspian answered, evading Tohma's hand. He didn't want to get smacked again. "You should bathe more often."
"SHUT UP!" Tohma yelled, causing the guards in the area to shush him.
Tohma reached up and grabbed Caspian, silencing him for the time being. He glared at the guards and hurried off to his lair. He opened the door to the broom closet and slammed it behind him.
"Too bad he was talking so quietly." One of the guards said to another. I would have liked to know what he was talking about."
"Yeah, I love palace gossip." The other answered him. He watched the broom closet door for a few seconds, heard the lock click, decided that the door wasn't going to open for a while, and turned his attention back to his job.
"Would you stop giggling!" Hiro warned, not wanting to get caught. "If someone hears you…"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I can't help it Hiro!" Shuichi responded, trying to compose himself.
"If someone hears you, we're finished!" Hiro said, continuing to mess with the string in front of him. "We have to be quick, she left five minutes ago, and you said she usually comes back within ten."
"Okay, I'll get this end." Shuichi answered in a more serious tone, grabbing one end of the string and running to the other side of the throne room. Mika had vacated it shortly after berating Tohma, and Shuichi and Hiro had taken the opportunity to have some fun with her.
"Make sure the knots are tight." Hiro whispered across the room.
Shuichi nodded in response and started to loop the string around one of the long pillars. Hiro finished tying up the other end and went over to help Shuichi.
"At least you've stopped giggling." Hiro said, starting to tie one of the knots on the string.
"Yeah, I get too excited when I start pulling pranks…" Shuichi answered, tying the last knot. As he finished saying that, the double doors opened again and the Sultana started to walk up the main aisle.
"WALL!" Shuichi yelled, surprised by the sudden opening of the door. He slammed himself against the wall and spread out his arms. Hiro cast him one confused look before hiding behind a pillar.
"What was that?" Mika asked to the empty throne. Someone had screamed something, and she thought she saw someone duck behind a pillar.
She turned around to continue her walk up to the throne, and promptly did a face plant. Her foot was caught on something, and she rolled over to see what it was. As she rolled over, she saw a flash of pink out of the corner of her eye. She quickly stood up and adjusted herself.
"SHUICHI!" She yelled, thrilled to have caught the culprit. "GET BACK HERE!"
"Yes, Mika?" Shuichi asked slyly, scooting over to where she was. Hiro followed a ways behind him.
"What is the meaning of this?" Mika questioned, mortified that she had fallen prey to something designed by Shuichi.
"That is a piece of string, right…?" Shuichi answered, contemplating his answer as he said it.
"And what was your part in this, Prince Nakano?" Mika asked, taking a different tone with the prince. He was her last chance.
"I tried to stop him, majesty." Hiro answered suavely, winking at Shuichi discreetly. "He couldn't be persuaded, and by the time I got to him, it was too late."
"Yes, I understand." Mika replied. "You. Get out of my sight, and apologize to the Prince for putting him through this ordeal." Mika commanded Shuichi.
"Are you kidding me?" Shuichi responded, looking completely riled. "I'll never surrender!"
On that note, he turned around on his heel and sped out of the throne room. Mika put her head in her hand and shook her head slowly. He was going to put her in an early grave. Hiro laughed quietly and started to walk out of the room. Stopping, he turned to Mika.
"Is there anything else that you require of me, milady?" Hiro asked, bowing his head to Mika.
"No, no. I am truly sorry about his behavior. Hopefully it will be corrected after some time in your palace, no?" Mika returned, smiling at Nakano.
"Of course, Sultana. We do not tolerate such behavior where I hail from." Hiro replied. He finished walking to the door and left the room, and the Sultana. "Old hag…"
"Jeez, who does she think she is?!" Shuichi screeched, as he paced around the entrance hall. "GAH!"
"Calm down…" Hiro said quietly. "The guards are watching us…"
"DOES NO ONE CARE?! THIS IS A BIG DEAL!" Shuichi screamed, running out of the room towards the courtyard where Cinda spent her days.
"He'll calm down majesty." One of the guards said. The other still had his eyes glued to the door of the broom closet. Sooner or later, the comedy duo would reappear. "Until then, I also apologize for him…"
"He's not that bad." Hiro answered, smiling. "I'll be going now."
Hiro left the entrance hall and also glanced towards the broom closet. The vizier had apparently returned, but Hiro hadn't seen him all morning. He made his way to the courtyard, hoping that he would find his new friend there.
When he reached the courtyard, Shuichi was indeed there, messing around with Cinda. He had taught her to fetch a stick if he threw it, though more often than not, she returned with a log. The once pristine courtyard was littered with tree stumps, logs, and other things that Cinda had returned with.
"Hey man." Hiro said as he walked over to the duo.
"That was great, all that stuff you said to Mika." Shuichi returned, smiling at Hiro. "Thanks for helping me. I can't believe she's so stupid…"
"Yeah…all that yelling was a nice touch."
"HEY! I WAS SERIOUS!" Shuichi screeched, upset that no one in the palace was capable of taking him seriously. Cinda took a menacing step towards Hiro. To her, anyone that upset Shuichi had to be destroyed immediately.
"Just chill out, spaz." Hiro said, backing up a few feet. Shuichi looked like he would be frothing at the mouth any second. "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit much?"
"Overreacting? OVERREACTING!" Shuichi answered, feeling the weight of the injustice of it all. "I am NOT OVERREACTING!" Shuichi yelled, throwing a stick across the courtyard. Cinda immediately went chasing after it.
Hiro raised an eyebrow at Shuichi, trying his best to look skeptical.
"Why does no one care…" Shuichi said melodramatically, sinking down the ground. "No one wants to listen to me…"
"And you still think you don't overreact…" Hiro mused.
"What was that, Hiro?" Shuichi asked, his eyes showing that he hadn't heard what Hiro said. He gazed pitifully around the courtyard, wallowing in an ooze of self-pity.
Hiro walked over and nudged Shuichi with his foot, convinced that he was going to snap him out of it.
"What's this really about, Shuichi? You've been acting strange for two days now." Hiro said, trying to find the quickest route to the source of Shuichi's insanity.
"Strange? You think I'm strange?" Shuichi asked, tears welling up in his eyes.
"No, I just think –" Hiro tried to respond, noting the glaring elephant behind Shuichi.
"WAHHH! HIRO HATES ME!" Shuichi wailed, turning around and putting the back of his hand against his forehead.
"No, no! I don't hate you!" Hiro said, completely unsure of how to handle the situation. He had never met anyone like Shuichi before.
"You don't?" Shuichi asked, sliding over to Hiro, with no sign of any tears.
"No, I don't…" Hiro said, a little freaked out at this point.
"YAY!" Shuichi squealed, throwing his arms around Hiro. "We're friends now, ne?"
"Yeah, we're friends." Hiro said, looking at Shuichi's face, which was currently pressed against his chest. Shuichi looked up at him and smiled, and Hiro sensed some sort of electricity between them. Hiro leaned in closer to Shuichi's face, planning to kiss him, when the thundering footsteps of Cinda interrupted him.
"Woo! Good girl, Cinda!" Shuichi yelled, jumping over to Cinda, completely oblivious to Hiro's attempt at a kiss. "Wow, look what she brought back this time, Hiro!"
"Impressive." Hiro answered on a sigh, looking at the tree that Cinda had returned with. "She's quite the elephant."
"I wish everyone felt that way…" Shuichi said, wrapping his arms around Cinda's trunk. "Mika wants to kill her."
"Probably because you seem to have trained her to attack the Sultana on sight." Hiro answered, smiling again.
"Yeah…if Mika weren't around, everything would be so much easier…" Shuichi said, his face all scrunched up. "She ruins everything!"
"I'm guessing everything bad that has ever happened to you, and will ever happen to you, is the Sultana's fault, right?" Hiro asked, sarcasm clouding his voice.
"Yes. Yes it is." Shuichi said seriously, nodding his head and completely missing Hiro's sarcasm.
"You're insane." Hiro returned, smiling at Shuichi attempting to be serious.
"Am not."
"Are too."
"AM NOT!" Shuichi yelled, waving his arms.
"Alright, alright. If she's so bad, why don't you just give as good as you get?" Hiro asked, crossing his arms and leaning back.
"Because…" Shuichi answered, trying to think of a reason.
"Well, why not?" Hiro asked, trying to prod Shuichi into action. He couldn't wait for an excuse to have some more fun with Mika.
"I don't know…she'd do horrible things to me." Shuichi answered, border lining on melodrama again.
"I say we have some fun with her." Hiro said, smiling at Shuichi. "Like the string trick. What'd you say?"
"Let's do it." Shuichi answered, pounding his fist into his palm.
A course of action decided on, Shuichi and Hiro left the courtyard to begin the planning phases of their upcoming pranks. Mika would never know what hit her.
WOO! An update. In one day, no less. Oh snap. *does happy dance* And on top of that, I made chocolate meringues and homeade peanut butter cookies! I shouldn't get up at seven thirty in the morning anymore. I scare myself. Anywho, thank the Birdman for this update, it was all him. And My Chemical Romance, Drowning Pool, and the Aladdin soundtrack. And Jet Li. Can't forget about Jet Li. Catch ya next time.
-Amaya