The HiME Bride, Chapter 2.
"There was a mighty duel," Takeda was tracing footprints in the soil, "It ranged all over. They were both masters."
Haruka Suzushiro looked over at Count Kanzaki, who nodded, then asked, "Who won? How did it end?"
"The loser ran off alone in that direction. The winner followed those tracks towards Cardair."
"Do we track them both?" Haruka asked.
"The loser isn't important!" Takeda said, "We're trying to rescue Natsuki-Hime."
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"So," Natsuki crossed her arms, "Are we going to talk about the fact that you let me think you were dead for almost six years?"
"Can we wait until we're safely along and back on my ship, The Revenge, to do that?" Shizuru asked.
"Shizuru, I spent all that time thinking you were dead. And then I get a grubby, handsy prince thinking he can marry me just because he's a prince. Then I get kidnapped because some toads thought they could make money starting a war and I was the perfect pawn to murder to get things going. I'm very tired, very frustrated, and I'm not doing anything else until I get some answers, damnit!"
"Natsuki makes a fair point," Shizuru sighed, "Can we at least walk while we talk? There may be more people involved."
Natsuki rose from her seat and started walking along, "Well?"
"As you know, my ship was attacked by the Dread Pirate Kiyohime when I went out to seek my fortune.
"And Kiyohime, she was well known for never taking prisoners. "
"I imagine keeping discipline on a pirate ship is difficult if you're going to show mercy," Natsuki said ruefully.
"Some were put to the sword. Some were flung overboard. Some fought well enough that they were killed when the ship was set ablaze. When it came to be my turn to be cut down, I looked Kiyohime in the eyes and said, 'Please, I need to live.'
"And she looked at me a moment, then said, 'And for what is it that you need to live?' I replied, 'True Love.'
"And she laughed, 'You're some bride being sent to meet a husband you've never met, and you think it's true love?'
"'No,' I said, 'The woman I love is waiting for me at home, to return with enough money to marry, and word of a place we can live together free.'"
"So, you told Kiyohime about me?" Natsuki asked.
Shizuru nodded, "She was intrigued by my description of your beauty. Skin like milk. Eyes like emeralds. Hair the same deep blue as a night sky. She sheathed her sword, 'Alright, Shizuru, never had an attendant. We can try for tonight. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.
"And I knew then that she wouldn't, though she said it every day for three years. 'Good night, Shizuru, good work. I'll most likely kill you in the morning.'"
"How'd you know, then, from the first night, that she wouldn't kill you?" Natsuki asked.
"Because, it was too late to do it. If a pirate is going to do anything, they must commit. If she was going to kill me, she needed to do it then and there. Once she decided to show even a shred of mercy, she had to stick with that, but only by threatening to kill me daily.
"And then it happened. One day, she took me aside and said to me, 'I am not the Dread Pirate Kiyohime. My name is Midori. I inherited the ship from the original Kiyohime, just as you will now inherit it from me.' She hired a new crew, stayed on a month, all the while calling me Kiyohime, and then deshipped at a port to the north, where a woman named Yohko was waiting for her."
"So, you were stuck on the ship for three years. Why didn't you tell me you were alive afterwards?"
"I was a long way away, Natsuki. Iocane does indeed come from Australia. And that's where I procured my supply. Once the ship was mine, I set sail for Fuuka at once, but a journey that long requires many stops along the way, to resupply, to replace deceased crew, to offload potentially mutinous crew.
"It was at a port near Spain, a month ago, that I heard news that the Prince of Fuuka had become engaged to a beautiful farm girl to whom he'd bestowed a Princess title. And then I heard the name. I was…hurt."
"For what it's worth, Shizuru," Natsuki sighed, "It was entirely his idea, and I want nothing to do with it or with him. But I had decided that I'd go along with it for one reason only. To have the pirate who'd murdered you brought before me so that I could deliver the death sentence myself."
Shizuru smiled, "Well, that would have been an awkward reunion."
Natsuki chuckled, "To say the least. But I never stopped loving you, Shizuru."
"Nor I you, Natsuki," Shizuru smiled, "And then I heard through my network of underworld contacts that Nagi was planning to abduct the Princess, and looking for reliable henchmen to get the job done. I came as quickly as I could, and here we are."
"The two who were with Nagi, those girls, what did you do with them?" Natsuki asked.
"The younger one I sent off to find her missing brother. She'll be beyond formidable, one day. The other girl I paid off, since she was only in it for her sickly brother. So many issues with brothers. It makes me thankful that I'm an only child."
Natsuki gave a short laugh, then smiled at Shizuru, "I'm glad you didn't kill them. They helped kidnap me, but, neither of them seemed like truly bad people.
"Wait," Natsuki looked at Shizuru with concern, "During the time you were gone, did you ever…?"
"Most of my time was spent learning the skills to fight, to fence, to wield this blade I'm carrying. And then, when I became Kiyohime, I used the reputation of my predecessors to force ships to surrender. 'Surrender, and I will show mercy. It is said that I never take prisoners, but if you give me your goods, you won't be prisoners, now will you?' Having nearly twenty years of history as a bloodthirsty pirate at my disposal worked wonders.
"But I have killed, and not just that bastard Nagi. But know that I never killed anyone who wasn't trying to kill me first, Natsuki."
"I can accept that," Natsuki embraced her, "So, now, how are we getting out of here? I have a bad feeling that by now, Prince Takeda will be following us. He can track a falcon on a cloudy day. He can definitely follow the trail that Nagi left."
"Ara, ara, but does Natsuki not want to marry her fiance and then run off with half his money?" Shizuru smiled sweetly at her.
"We'll call that plan B," Natsuki smirked, "If Takeda catches up."
"Ikezu."
"Hey, it was your idea. So, how are we getting out of here?"
"Well, about that," Shizuru looked mildly sheepish, "I'm afraid we're going to have to cut through the Fire Swamp."
Natsuki looked at her with a serious glare, "Shizuru! We won't survive!"
"Mou. Natsuki is only saying that because no one else has. But with Natsuki, I can do anything."
Shizuru reached for Natsuki, pulling her to her. Their lips touched, and…
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"We're going to skip that part," Grandmother said, flipping a couple of pages.
"Grandma! That's not fair! They were kissing! Why skip it!"
'You'll understand when you're older. But you're not old enough to hear that part yet. So, we'll just jump straight to the Fire Swamp…"
"Ikezu, Grandma!" Arika sulked.
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Shizuru and Natsuki raced along the ravine floor.
"Ha! Your fiance is too late…For many things," Shizuru looked at Natsuki with a smile.
Natsuki blushed, "I-idiot! Can we just please run headlong into the swampland that has claimed the life of everyone who ever went in there. That would be preferable to being teased about what we just did."
"Oh, but I liked what we just did," Shizuru said earnestly, "But I suppose we had better flee into the Fire Swamp before we have to explain the situation to your fiance. Plus, being a wanted pirate would make it awkward for me…"
They stepped into the darkness of the swamp.
"It's actually not as bad as I expected," Natsuki looked around.
Shizuru gave her a strange look, "Ara, but Natsuki has a strange sense of taste."
Natsuki blushed, "I didn't say I'd like to build a summer home, here, but the darkness and the warmth of the swamp are actually kind of relaxing."
"Don't get too relaxed," Shizuru said seriously, "The Fire Swamp is known for its myriad dangers."
"Three come to mind," Natsuki said, counting on her fingers, "The flame spurt. The Lightning Sand. And The Rodents of Unusual Size."
"If you want to see rodents of unusual size, you should see the things I've seen in ship's holds," Shizuru shuddered, "I've seen things in my travels, Natsuki, that would make this place seem like a sweet dream. One day, when it is very bright and the night a long way away, I may even dare to tell you some of them. After a good bottle or two of wine to loosen my tongue. Those stories are not for the dark, even if that's where they come from."
There was a sudden popping sound, and then, a burst of flame, and Natsuki's dress caught fire. Shizuru quickly leapt into action, smothering the flames quickly.
"Were you hurt, Natsuki?"
Natsuki shook her head, "You?"
"I'm alright," Shizuru held up her hands to show there were no burns.
"See, this is why I hate wearing dresses," Natsuki said, "If I'd been in trousers, I wouldn't have been touched. The hem of this things is ridiculous."
"Well, I don't have any spare trousers," Shizuru smirked, "And I happen to think Natsuki looks lovely in a dress. But you raise a valid point about the safety and the fire. Why don't we do something about that hemline."
Shizuru grabbed a handful of the dress, and pulled a dagger from her belt. She cut quickly.
"Oi, Shizuru?"
"Yes, Natsuki?"
"In principle, I agree with shortening the dress."
"Naturally. It makes sense to avoid catching fire more easily."
"But," Natsuki's eyebrow twitched, "Is there some reason you cut it at mid-thigh instead of, say, around the knees?"
"Mobility?" Shizuru offered. Rather weakly, Natsuki thought.
"I think you just wanted to look at my legs."
"You have to admit that the low light of the swamp and the paleness of your skin in this environment gives them a certain…glow."
"You're drooling," Natsuki sighed, "Anyway, let's keep moving."
They found it easy enough to dodge further incidents of the Flame Spurt after that, the popping sound being an excellent forewarning. And with the reminder from Natsuki about the Lightning Sand, Shizuru kept her nagitata blade running along the ground in front of her. They found one large spot right in front of them, and were forced to detour around. Both of them became aware, quickly, of glowing red eyes watching them from the darkness.
"The you-know-whats?" Natsuki asked Shizuru.
"Almost certainly," Shizuru sighed, "And it was looking to be such a nice day, too. Stay close to me, Natsuki. I think they mean to make a fight of it."
"Pass me your dagger," Natsuki said, "I need some way of protecting myself if it gets rough."
Only one of the Fire Swamp's rodents proved brave enough to challenge them. It launched itself at Shizuru, who had to catch it in the gut with the pole end of her naginata, having no time to bring the blade to bear. It charged her again, and she spun the pole arm, swatting it with the flat of the blade, right into the path of a an area where the popping noise was becoming prominent. The Flame Spurt consumed the enormous rodent, burning it. But it still wasn't dead. It tried crawling away, visibly pained.
"Allow me to end your suffering," Shizuru said calmly, and brought the blade end of the naginata down on the creature's head. And just like that, it was over.
Natsuki and Shizuru pressed on, avoiding more of the Flame Spurts, although they seemed to be less and less after that encounter. And the remaining rodents seemed to sense that Shizuru had dispatched one of their own with relative ease.
"My ship is just beyond the Fire Swamp," Shizuru said as they saw daylight ahead, "This will soon be naught but a distant memory."
They emerged into the shimmering light, and were just taking a breath of fresh air that didn't reek of the stench of rot and decay that are so common to swamps and marshland, when the thunderous sounds of hoofbeats reached their ears.
They were quickly surrounded by armed soldiers on horseback, all bearing the crest of the Fuuka Royal Army, and then Prince Takeda, his Royal Adviser Kanzaki, and the Captain of the Guard, Haruka Suzushiro rode into view.
"Surrender!" Takeda yelled to Shizuru.
"Ara, ara, you would surrender to me? Well, I admit, my reputation is impressive, but I didn't think I was so astonishing as all that," Shizuru said.
"You're brave, I'll give you that," Haruka said, "But you're making a school of yourself."
"Fool, Haruka," one of the soldiers said, adjusting her glasses.
"Surrender," Takeda repeated.
"How will you catch us? We know the secrets of the Fire Swamp, and can live there quite comfortably for some time, so whenever you feel like dying, please feel free to stop by."
"Surrender!" Takeda was growing impatient.
"It will not happen!" Shizuru raised her blade.
"For the last time, Surrender!" Takeda drew his blade.
"Death first!"
"Stop it right now, Takeda!" Natsuki shouted angrily, "Is this how Fuuka rewards the brave and heroic?"
"What was that?" Takeda looked puzzled. Shizuru echoed the sentiment.
"This woman encountered my abductors and dispatched them," Natsuki spoke with conviction, "She saved me, when there was no one else to do so. And that's to be rewarded with threats of violence?"
Takeda blinked, looking visibly chastened, "Well, no, I suppose…"
"And we're just supposed to take your word for it?" Haruka asked.
"Use your brain, Suzushiro, if indeed the Lord deemed fit to grace you with one. If this woman were the one who abducted me, why would I defend her when my rescuers from Fuuka show up?"
"I really dislike this 'Princess' of yours, Prince Takeda," Suzurshiro groused.
"Natsu…ki," Shizuru muttered.
"I was happy to find out you were alive, Shizuru," Natsuki whispered, "Live on, and I'll find a way to rejoin you."
"Of course, my Natsuki," Shizuru smiled.
Natsuki spoke loudly again, "She is an adventurer from foreign lands, and is expected at the port on the other side of these woods. Escort her to safety."
"I swear it will be done," Takeda said, and nodded at his retainers. He scooped up Natsuki on his horse and rode off.
"As soon as the Prince is out of sight, take that shameless, wicked woman to the pit of Despair and give her what for," Haruka muttered to Kanzaki.
"I swear it will be done," Kanzaki smiled without a trace of irony in his voice. He cantered over to where Shizuru was standing.
"Come, madam. We must get you to your port."
She smiled serenely at him, "Ara, ara, but I doubt that you want to see me off in the same way that your Prince intended."
"Well spoken," he smiled, tightening his hand on the reigns.
"You have a tattoo of an eye on your right hand. Someone was looking for you."
"Come quietly," he smiled calmly, "I'd hate to have to strike a woman. Even if I were certain she could fight back."
To Be Continued….