Part II: The Kidnapping
OR
Swords, Rocks, and Poisoned Wine
OR
Enter the Pirate
Hello again. It's me with the second part. This part is less Daiken because, as indicated in the last chapter, Daisuke is dead (Note to worried reader: this is NOT a Miyaken). There is, however, some Taitoish moments, and please be wary of Koushiro; he's downright insane. Another note: the first person to tell me (in the review) how many times Vizzini says 'Inconceivable' in the movie "The Princess Bride," I will write them a Kensuke/Daiken fic of their description, as long as it's not a lemon. Thank you, and proceed.
* * *
"What in the world are you doing, Koushiro?" The redhead glared at the blond before returning to his action.
"I'm ripping up a uniform of a Guilderian soldier. I'll attach it to the prince's horse, and send it back to the castle. Miyako, the suspicious little bitch she is, will think that the Guilderians have abducted her fiancé, and when they find him dead on the frontier, there will be a full-scale war! Bwa-HAHAHAHA!" There was an uncomfortable silence, and then the brunette spoke up.
"You know, I don't think it's right to just kill someone so defenseless." Koushiro whirled on him.
"Am I mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? *I* am the brains of this operations, and you are the muscle. You are this legendary creature of strength, but you are not smart! You're nothing without me! Do you want to go back to where you were-unemployed in GREENLAND!? And you-" He turned on the brunette, enraged. "You were wandering around the bars of Europe, too drunk to buy BRANDY! I don't care that you're the best swordsman in the world, I should just leave you both here and get new lackies!" The brunette looked after Koushiro sadly.
"He doesn't mean that, does he, Yamato?" The blond shook his head.
"No, Taichi, he's just upset. It's like sarcasm." Taichi nodded, and wrapped his arm around Yamato.
"But even if he is serious, we'll still have each other, right?" Yamato smiled.
"Sure."
* * *
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yamato glanced at Koushiro from the tiller.
"I was watching to make sure no one was following us," he responded. Koushiro stormed to the back of the boat, fuming.
"There is no way anyone could be following us. No one is Guilder knows what we've done, and no one in Florin could have gotten here that fast. The idea is absolutely and utterly inconceivable." There was a pasue. "Out of curiousity, why do you ask?" Yamato grinned sardonically at the midget.
"I just happened to look behind us, and saw a ship there."
"What!? Inconceivable!" Koushiro stared back and saw black sails following them. "It's probably just a local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise-in eel-infested waters. He's no concern of-" SPLASH! Ken had loosened his bonds, and was making a swim for it. "Idiots! Go after him!"
"I can't swim," Yamato stated flatly.
"I only doggie-paddle," Taichi said brightly. Koushiro screamed at them, and then ran for the side of the boat.
"Turn left! No, the OTHER LEFT! AFTER HER!!!" Ken was swimming strongly in the channel, but a strange screeching echoed in the water. "Do you know what that sound is, your highness? Those are the shrieking eels. They are carnivorous creatures that always grow louder just before they feed on human flesh." The screams *were* growing louder, and Ken began to panic. "If you swim back now, I promise you won't be hurt until we give you a painless death on the frontier. You won't get such an offer from the eels." Suddenly, the water boiled, and Ken froze as the hungry mouth of an eel shot towards him.
* * *
A/N: I will note that Ken does not get eaten by the eels at this point. People often get worried at this point, and so I reiterate: Ken does not get eaten by the eels.
* * *
A hand shot down and slammed into the eel's head. The creature fell away, and the same hand pulled Ken from the water by his collar.
"Put him down!" Taichi dropped Ken on the deck of the ship, and Yamato handed him a blanket. Koushiro leered at the blue-haired man. "You think that was brave? It was very stupid, and I wouldn't advise doing it again." Ken nodded, and Koushiro turned to the front of the boat.
"He's gotten closer."
"What? Inconceivable!"
* * *
Koushiro laughed, staring at the boat behind him.
"He's too late for us! See?! The Cliffs of Insanity!" The cliffs rose for a thousand feet, sheer and trecherous. "No one can go up our way, so he'll have to look for a port, and by that time..." At that point, the ship bumped against the rock. "Disembark! And Taichi, get ready to climb!" The brunette walked to the cliff, where a rope hung from the top. Yamato ushered everyone off the boat, and sunk it. Then, he tied them all together, and Taichi began to climb. He was a thin person, but he was deceptively strong. He was renowned for his strength, and the name of Yagami Taichi could strike fear into anyone's heart (Not really, but Taichi had always liked the sound of that). Taichi was the only man alive who could haul himself 1000 feet up a rope, much less with three passengers. And so he was three hundred feet up the rope when the other boat reached the cliffs, and the passenger leapt onto the rope as well.
"He's climbing the rope," Yamato pointed out.
"Inconceivable! Climb *faster,* you dolt!"
"Koushiro, I'm going as fast as I can."
"Do you want me to find a new strong man? I've heard wonderful things about a giant from Hungary."
"You don't mean that, do you?" Taichi, while protesting with Koushiro, was climbing faster than before, and was six hundred feet up. The passenger, a man dressed all in black, was two hundred feet up.
"You were the strongest man in the world, this great legendary THING, and yet he gains! After all, I could just leave you here!" Taichi shuddered, and sped up a little more. There was one thing in the world he feared, and that was abandonment. But he wasn't *that* worried. If Koushiro abandoned him, he knew Yamato would stay with him. He knew that no matter what, Yamato wouldn't leave him alone.
"But I'm carrying three people, and he's only got himself."
"No excuses!" Taichi was eight hundred feet, and the man in black five. Now Taichi was eight-fifty, and the man in black had climbed six hundred feet. Nine hundred feet, and the man in black was only three hundred from the top. Nine-twenty, and the man was seven-fifty from the bottom. Nine-forty, and the man in black was eight hundred. No matter how fast he climbed, the man in black gained. But suddenly, they were at the top, and Koushiro leapt for the rock the rope was tied around. He pulled out a knife as the others scrambled for a safe spot. With the man a hundred feet from the top, the rope began to fray. Koushiro sawed harder, and the man was eighty feet away. The second-to-last strand snapped, and the man was fifty feet away. Forty feet from the top, the rope snapped, and all thousand-plus feet from the rock to the bottom fell. Koushiro laughed, and Ken felt a twinge in his chest. For a moment, it seemed he would be rescued. But these immoral men were going to kill him. Oh well, he would simply join his Daisuke.
"He's dead, and now we can go-what are you doing, Ishida?" Yamato had walked to the side of the cliff, and looked over.
"He's climbing."
"What?!" Koushiro hurried to the blond's side, and looked for himself. The man in black was slowly, but surely, climbing the sheer rock face. "Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means." Koushiro turned bright red, and stormed to Taichi.
"You-carry him! And Yamato, wait here. If he falls, he dies. But if he makes it to the top, the sword." Yamato nodded grimly.
"I will do it left-handed." Koushiro looked like he wanted to cry. "It will be too easy otherwise."
"Fine, fine! Come on, *Tai.*" Taichi waited a moment, and placed a concerned hand on Yamato's shoulder.
"Be careful, Yamato. Men in masks cannot be trusted." And they were off.
* * *
"Is there any way you could hurry up?" The man in black glared up at him.
"If you want to help, throw down a rope! Otherwise, be quiet!" There was a moment of silence.
"I do have a rope, but you will not accept my help, as I am only waiting around to kill you." The man grunted.
"Then just leave me alone, all right?"
"Is there any way I could make you trust me? I could give you my word as a Spaniard."
"No good...I've known too many Spaniards." Suddenly, Yamato's face became solemn.
"I swear by the sword of my father, Ishida Takeshi, you will reach the top alive." The man in black was quiet for a moment, and then,
"All right. Give me the rope."
* * *
The man in black reached the top, and stood up, pulling out his sword.
"No, no, I'll wait until you're ready." The man in black sighed, and sat down.
"Thank you." Yamato looked at the man's hand, and asked,
"Do you have six fingers on your right hand?"
"Is this how you begin conversations, because it's certainly an odd question."
"My father was slaughtered by a six-fingered noble. I never knew his name, nor his face, but he came to my father, asking for a sword with which he could fight. My father slaved for a year, and when it was complete, the six-fingered man returned, and tried to take the sword-at one-tenth the promised price. My father refused, and the man drew a sword and slashed him through the heart. He turned to leave, but I challlenged him, with the six-fingered sword. He won, but let me live. Instead, he gave me this...and this." There were two scars running down his cheeks, bright against his skin. "And now I have dedicated my life to finding and killing this man. When I find him, I will say: 'Hello, my name is Ishida Yamato. You killed my father. Prepare to die.'"
"Well, I hope you find him some day." The man in black stood, and drew his sword. "Well, let's get to it." Yamato drew his sword, the six-fingered weapon, and took a pose.
"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you." The man in black sighed.
"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die." And they clashed swords.
* * *
"Inconceivable! He couldn't have beaten Yamato!" Taichi stared in astonishment at the man in black. He felt very alone. If the man in black had beaten Yamato, that meant he was...dead. "Give him to me. Wait here for the man in black. When he arrives, hit his head with a rock. Bash his head in. Make sure he's dead, got it?" Taichi nodded, and watched Koushiro run off.
"It doesn't seem like a very sportsmanlike plan."
* * *
The man in black reached a canyon, and was walking through a narrow gap in the rocks when a small boulder nearly smashed his head. He whipped out his sword, and saw the thin brunette holding another large rock in his hands.
"Hi, my name's Taichi, and I'm here to kill you."
"So what are we supposed to do?"
"I put down my rock, you put down your sword, and we face each other as God intended." The man in black almost laughed at that, but responded,
"So we abandon our weapons and try to kill each other like civilized people?" There was a nod, and the man in black abandoned his sword. "All right." He launched himself at Taichi, who stoo firm as 155 pounds of muscle ran into him.
"Pretty good, man in black. Why do you wear a mask?" The man in black backed up for another run. "wWre you disfigured by acid?" THUMP! Taichi didn't move.
"No, I just think they're comfortable. I think everyone'll be wearing them soon. Besides, I don't want you knowing who I am! How are you so strong?"
"I don't know. It's natural. I don't even practice that much." Taichi made a grab for the man in black, but the man was too quick. He suddenly remembered something. He was fighting as if there were many people there, and there was only the man in black. He tried to recall how to fight just one person, but there was a weight against his neck. Taichi might have been strong, but he couldn't live without air. Before he slipped completely into unconsciousness, he thought,
'I'm coming, Yamato, please wait for me...'
* * *
"There was a hell of a duel. They were both masters." Miyako stepped lightly in the footprints. "It ranged all over, but there was little blood. However, it ended, and the loser went off that way, alone. The winner went towards Guilder." Beside her, the Countess Sora asked,
"Should we follow both of them?"
"No! Only the winner matters." She began her horses at a trot from the top of the cliff. "There will be great suffering in Guilder if he dies!"
* * *
"And so it down to you, and it is down to me," Koushiro quipped smugly. He sat at a flat rock, with a small meal set out. Ken sat next to him, blindfolded, and with a sword to his neck. The man in black stepped closer, and Koushiro pressed the sowrd harder against a vein.
"Don't come closer."
"Let me explain-" the man in black began, but he was cut off.
"There's nothing to explain! You're trying to take what I've rightfully stolen."
"There must make an arrangement-"
"There will be no arrangement, and you're killing him!" The man in black froze.
"Then we're stuck here."
"Yes." Koushiro laughed. "I can't compete with your strength, and you're no match for my brains!" The man smiled.
"You're that smart?"
"Have you ever heard of Aristotle, Socrates, Einstein? MORONS!"
"Then I offer a battle of the wits."
"For the prince?" Nod. "To the death?!" Nod. "I accept!"
"Then pour the wine!" The man in black sat down, and pulled a vial from his clothes. "Inhale this, but do not touch." Koushiro did so, and then shrugged. "What you do not smell is iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless, and dissolves instantly in liquid. It is the deadliest poison known to man." Koushiro's eyes lit up. Then the man in black snatched two goblets of wine. When he returned them to the table, he was smiling. "And the game begins. Where is the poison? The game ends when you choose and we drink, and we find out who has won, and who is dead."
"That's it? All I have to do is divine what I know of you in order to see, would you put the poisoon in your own glass or in your opponent's? Now, you couldn't have put the poison in my glass, because only a great fool would reach for what he was given, so I obviously cannot choose the wine in front of you. But, you know I am not a great fool, so I cannot choose the wine in front of me."
"Are you finished?"
"Not remotely! Now, iocane powder comes from Australia, and Australia is populated by criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I cannot choose the wine in front of you!"
"Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."
"Wait till I get started! Now, where was I?"
"Australia."
"Right! You knew I'd know the poison's origin, so I cannot choose the wine in front of me! You bested Taichi, which must mean you are strong, so you might rely on your strength to save you, so I clearly cannot choose the wine in front of you! However, you've bested my Spaniard, so you must have studied, and in studying, you learned that man is mortal, and so you'd put the wine as far away from you as possible, so I can't choose the wine in front of me!" The man appeared worried.
"You're stalling, trying to make me give something away."
"You're too late! You've given it *all* away!"
"Then choose!"
"I will, just as soon as-What in the world could THAT be?" The man in black whirled around, staring behind him.
"I don't see anything."
"Oh, well, it's nothing. Let's drink, you from my glass, you for yours." Koushiro was giggling.
"What's so funny?"
"I'll tell you in a minute." They raised their glasses, and drank. After putting down his glass, the man in black said,
"You guessed wrong."
"You only THINK I guessed wrong! I switched the glasses! You fell for one of the oldest blunders. The best known is 'Don't get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less known is 'NEVER GO UP AGAINST A SICILIAN WHEN *DEATH* IS ON THE LINE! Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! BWA-" There was a small thud, and Koushiro never spoke again. The man in black untied the blindfold frm Ken's eyes.
"To think, all the time the poison was in your glass?" The man shook his head.
"It was in both glasses. I've always been somewhat resistant to poison; I hoped the iocane wouldn't affect me..." There was a silent moment, and then the man in black dragged up Ken by the arm. "Come with me."
* * *
"Someone has beaten a strong man...and the prince is alive, or WAS, an hour ago. If he is otherwise when I find him, I shall be very put out."
* * *
"Sit down and rest." Ken fell onto a rock, and glared at the man in black.
"Miyako will find you, and you will suffer." The man smiled.
"Your love will not find me; but even if she does, it does not matter."
"I never said I loved her!" Ken's eyes radiated pure pain, and the man in black smiled.
"You admit you don't love your fiancé...not capable of love, you mean." Ken stared in disbelief.
"I have loved more deeply than you can ever imagine. However, it...didn't go well." Ken reeled as the man in black slapped him.
"That's the punishment for lying your highness, and remember to not say such ridiculous things anymore."
"Your cruelty reveals everything. You're the Dread Pirate Gennai. Admit it!"
"With pleasure," Gennai said with a bow. "What can I do for you?"
"You can DIE! You killed my love!" Gennai smiled patronizingly.
"It's possible. I kill a lot of people. Was this love another princess, rich and haughty?"
"No, he was poor, kind, and perfect. He wasn't the brightest, or even especially handsome by normal standards, but I loved him." Ken's eyes bore into Gennai. "He had chocolate eyes, and cinnamon hair, and a radiant beauty that you can never understand."
"I think I remember this love of yours. He died well, no pleading or begging. He only said 'please, please let me live.' And then he spoke of a love of unsurpassed beauty, loyalty, and kindness. Loyalty! Did you get engaged right away when you heard about him or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead?!" Ken stood up, eyes burning.
"You mock my pain!" Gennai smiled.
"Life *is* pain, your highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
"I died that day, and you can too!" He shoved the Dread Pirate Gennai, and the man fell down the slope into a ravine. And there was a faint cry from the falling man.
"Asssss.....youuu......wisssshhh...." Ken stared.
"Daisuke?" He tried to hurry after him, but slipped, and fell down the slope after his lover.
* * *
Part 2 is at an end, and I'll get to work on part 3 soon! Enjoy!
OR
Swords, Rocks, and Poisoned Wine
OR
Enter the Pirate
Hello again. It's me with the second part. This part is less Daiken because, as indicated in the last chapter, Daisuke is dead (Note to worried reader: this is NOT a Miyaken). There is, however, some Taitoish moments, and please be wary of Koushiro; he's downright insane. Another note: the first person to tell me (in the review) how many times Vizzini says 'Inconceivable' in the movie "The Princess Bride," I will write them a Kensuke/Daiken fic of their description, as long as it's not a lemon. Thank you, and proceed.
* * *
"What in the world are you doing, Koushiro?" The redhead glared at the blond before returning to his action.
"I'm ripping up a uniform of a Guilderian soldier. I'll attach it to the prince's horse, and send it back to the castle. Miyako, the suspicious little bitch she is, will think that the Guilderians have abducted her fiancé, and when they find him dead on the frontier, there will be a full-scale war! Bwa-HAHAHAHA!" There was an uncomfortable silence, and then the brunette spoke up.
"You know, I don't think it's right to just kill someone so defenseless." Koushiro whirled on him.
"Am I mad, or did the word THINK escape your lips? *I* am the brains of this operations, and you are the muscle. You are this legendary creature of strength, but you are not smart! You're nothing without me! Do you want to go back to where you were-unemployed in GREENLAND!? And you-" He turned on the brunette, enraged. "You were wandering around the bars of Europe, too drunk to buy BRANDY! I don't care that you're the best swordsman in the world, I should just leave you both here and get new lackies!" The brunette looked after Koushiro sadly.
"He doesn't mean that, does he, Yamato?" The blond shook his head.
"No, Taichi, he's just upset. It's like sarcasm." Taichi nodded, and wrapped his arm around Yamato.
"But even if he is serious, we'll still have each other, right?" Yamato smiled.
"Sure."
* * *
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Yamato glanced at Koushiro from the tiller.
"I was watching to make sure no one was following us," he responded. Koushiro stormed to the back of the boat, fuming.
"There is no way anyone could be following us. No one is Guilder knows what we've done, and no one in Florin could have gotten here that fast. The idea is absolutely and utterly inconceivable." There was a pasue. "Out of curiousity, why do you ask?" Yamato grinned sardonically at the midget.
"I just happened to look behind us, and saw a ship there."
"What!? Inconceivable!" Koushiro stared back and saw black sails following them. "It's probably just a local fisherman out for a pleasure cruise-in eel-infested waters. He's no concern of-" SPLASH! Ken had loosened his bonds, and was making a swim for it. "Idiots! Go after him!"
"I can't swim," Yamato stated flatly.
"I only doggie-paddle," Taichi said brightly. Koushiro screamed at them, and then ran for the side of the boat.
"Turn left! No, the OTHER LEFT! AFTER HER!!!" Ken was swimming strongly in the channel, but a strange screeching echoed in the water. "Do you know what that sound is, your highness? Those are the shrieking eels. They are carnivorous creatures that always grow louder just before they feed on human flesh." The screams *were* growing louder, and Ken began to panic. "If you swim back now, I promise you won't be hurt until we give you a painless death on the frontier. You won't get such an offer from the eels." Suddenly, the water boiled, and Ken froze as the hungry mouth of an eel shot towards him.
* * *
A/N: I will note that Ken does not get eaten by the eels at this point. People often get worried at this point, and so I reiterate: Ken does not get eaten by the eels.
* * *
A hand shot down and slammed into the eel's head. The creature fell away, and the same hand pulled Ken from the water by his collar.
"Put him down!" Taichi dropped Ken on the deck of the ship, and Yamato handed him a blanket. Koushiro leered at the blue-haired man. "You think that was brave? It was very stupid, and I wouldn't advise doing it again." Ken nodded, and Koushiro turned to the front of the boat.
"He's gotten closer."
"What? Inconceivable!"
* * *
Koushiro laughed, staring at the boat behind him.
"He's too late for us! See?! The Cliffs of Insanity!" The cliffs rose for a thousand feet, sheer and trecherous. "No one can go up our way, so he'll have to look for a port, and by that time..." At that point, the ship bumped against the rock. "Disembark! And Taichi, get ready to climb!" The brunette walked to the cliff, where a rope hung from the top. Yamato ushered everyone off the boat, and sunk it. Then, he tied them all together, and Taichi began to climb. He was a thin person, but he was deceptively strong. He was renowned for his strength, and the name of Yagami Taichi could strike fear into anyone's heart (Not really, but Taichi had always liked the sound of that). Taichi was the only man alive who could haul himself 1000 feet up a rope, much less with three passengers. And so he was three hundred feet up the rope when the other boat reached the cliffs, and the passenger leapt onto the rope as well.
"He's climbing the rope," Yamato pointed out.
"Inconceivable! Climb *faster,* you dolt!"
"Koushiro, I'm going as fast as I can."
"Do you want me to find a new strong man? I've heard wonderful things about a giant from Hungary."
"You don't mean that, do you?" Taichi, while protesting with Koushiro, was climbing faster than before, and was six hundred feet up. The passenger, a man dressed all in black, was two hundred feet up.
"You were the strongest man in the world, this great legendary THING, and yet he gains! After all, I could just leave you here!" Taichi shuddered, and sped up a little more. There was one thing in the world he feared, and that was abandonment. But he wasn't *that* worried. If Koushiro abandoned him, he knew Yamato would stay with him. He knew that no matter what, Yamato wouldn't leave him alone.
"But I'm carrying three people, and he's only got himself."
"No excuses!" Taichi was eight hundred feet, and the man in black five. Now Taichi was eight-fifty, and the man in black had climbed six hundred feet. Nine hundred feet, and the man in black was only three hundred from the top. Nine-twenty, and the man was seven-fifty from the bottom. Nine-forty, and the man in black was eight hundred. No matter how fast he climbed, the man in black gained. But suddenly, they were at the top, and Koushiro leapt for the rock the rope was tied around. He pulled out a knife as the others scrambled for a safe spot. With the man a hundred feet from the top, the rope began to fray. Koushiro sawed harder, and the man was eighty feet away. The second-to-last strand snapped, and the man was fifty feet away. Forty feet from the top, the rope snapped, and all thousand-plus feet from the rock to the bottom fell. Koushiro laughed, and Ken felt a twinge in his chest. For a moment, it seemed he would be rescued. But these immoral men were going to kill him. Oh well, he would simply join his Daisuke.
"He's dead, and now we can go-what are you doing, Ishida?" Yamato had walked to the side of the cliff, and looked over.
"He's climbing."
"What?!" Koushiro hurried to the blond's side, and looked for himself. The man in black was slowly, but surely, climbing the sheer rock face. "Inconceivable!"
"You keep using that word. I don't think it means what you think it means." Koushiro turned bright red, and stormed to Taichi.
"You-carry him! And Yamato, wait here. If he falls, he dies. But if he makes it to the top, the sword." Yamato nodded grimly.
"I will do it left-handed." Koushiro looked like he wanted to cry. "It will be too easy otherwise."
"Fine, fine! Come on, *Tai.*" Taichi waited a moment, and placed a concerned hand on Yamato's shoulder.
"Be careful, Yamato. Men in masks cannot be trusted." And they were off.
* * *
"Is there any way you could hurry up?" The man in black glared up at him.
"If you want to help, throw down a rope! Otherwise, be quiet!" There was a moment of silence.
"I do have a rope, but you will not accept my help, as I am only waiting around to kill you." The man grunted.
"Then just leave me alone, all right?"
"Is there any way I could make you trust me? I could give you my word as a Spaniard."
"No good...I've known too many Spaniards." Suddenly, Yamato's face became solemn.
"I swear by the sword of my father, Ishida Takeshi, you will reach the top alive." The man in black was quiet for a moment, and then,
"All right. Give me the rope."
* * *
The man in black reached the top, and stood up, pulling out his sword.
"No, no, I'll wait until you're ready." The man in black sighed, and sat down.
"Thank you." Yamato looked at the man's hand, and asked,
"Do you have six fingers on your right hand?"
"Is this how you begin conversations, because it's certainly an odd question."
"My father was slaughtered by a six-fingered noble. I never knew his name, nor his face, but he came to my father, asking for a sword with which he could fight. My father slaved for a year, and when it was complete, the six-fingered man returned, and tried to take the sword-at one-tenth the promised price. My father refused, and the man drew a sword and slashed him through the heart. He turned to leave, but I challlenged him, with the six-fingered sword. He won, but let me live. Instead, he gave me this...and this." There were two scars running down his cheeks, bright against his skin. "And now I have dedicated my life to finding and killing this man. When I find him, I will say: 'Hello, my name is Ishida Yamato. You killed my father. Prepare to die.'"
"Well, I hope you find him some day." The man in black stood, and drew his sword. "Well, let's get to it." Yamato drew his sword, the six-fingered weapon, and took a pose.
"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to kill you." The man in black sighed.
"You seem a decent fellow. I hate to die." And they clashed swords.
* * *
"Inconceivable! He couldn't have beaten Yamato!" Taichi stared in astonishment at the man in black. He felt very alone. If the man in black had beaten Yamato, that meant he was...dead. "Give him to me. Wait here for the man in black. When he arrives, hit his head with a rock. Bash his head in. Make sure he's dead, got it?" Taichi nodded, and watched Koushiro run off.
"It doesn't seem like a very sportsmanlike plan."
* * *
The man in black reached a canyon, and was walking through a narrow gap in the rocks when a small boulder nearly smashed his head. He whipped out his sword, and saw the thin brunette holding another large rock in his hands.
"Hi, my name's Taichi, and I'm here to kill you."
"So what are we supposed to do?"
"I put down my rock, you put down your sword, and we face each other as God intended." The man in black almost laughed at that, but responded,
"So we abandon our weapons and try to kill each other like civilized people?" There was a nod, and the man in black abandoned his sword. "All right." He launched himself at Taichi, who stoo firm as 155 pounds of muscle ran into him.
"Pretty good, man in black. Why do you wear a mask?" The man in black backed up for another run. "wWre you disfigured by acid?" THUMP! Taichi didn't move.
"No, I just think they're comfortable. I think everyone'll be wearing them soon. Besides, I don't want you knowing who I am! How are you so strong?"
"I don't know. It's natural. I don't even practice that much." Taichi made a grab for the man in black, but the man was too quick. He suddenly remembered something. He was fighting as if there were many people there, and there was only the man in black. He tried to recall how to fight just one person, but there was a weight against his neck. Taichi might have been strong, but he couldn't live without air. Before he slipped completely into unconsciousness, he thought,
'I'm coming, Yamato, please wait for me...'
* * *
"There was a hell of a duel. They were both masters." Miyako stepped lightly in the footprints. "It ranged all over, but there was little blood. However, it ended, and the loser went off that way, alone. The winner went towards Guilder." Beside her, the Countess Sora asked,
"Should we follow both of them?"
"No! Only the winner matters." She began her horses at a trot from the top of the cliff. "There will be great suffering in Guilder if he dies!"
* * *
"And so it down to you, and it is down to me," Koushiro quipped smugly. He sat at a flat rock, with a small meal set out. Ken sat next to him, blindfolded, and with a sword to his neck. The man in black stepped closer, and Koushiro pressed the sowrd harder against a vein.
"Don't come closer."
"Let me explain-" the man in black began, but he was cut off.
"There's nothing to explain! You're trying to take what I've rightfully stolen."
"There must make an arrangement-"
"There will be no arrangement, and you're killing him!" The man in black froze.
"Then we're stuck here."
"Yes." Koushiro laughed. "I can't compete with your strength, and you're no match for my brains!" The man smiled.
"You're that smart?"
"Have you ever heard of Aristotle, Socrates, Einstein? MORONS!"
"Then I offer a battle of the wits."
"For the prince?" Nod. "To the death?!" Nod. "I accept!"
"Then pour the wine!" The man in black sat down, and pulled a vial from his clothes. "Inhale this, but do not touch." Koushiro did so, and then shrugged. "What you do not smell is iocane powder. It is odorless, tasteless, and dissolves instantly in liquid. It is the deadliest poison known to man." Koushiro's eyes lit up. Then the man in black snatched two goblets of wine. When he returned them to the table, he was smiling. "And the game begins. Where is the poison? The game ends when you choose and we drink, and we find out who has won, and who is dead."
"That's it? All I have to do is divine what I know of you in order to see, would you put the poisoon in your own glass or in your opponent's? Now, you couldn't have put the poison in my glass, because only a great fool would reach for what he was given, so I obviously cannot choose the wine in front of you. But, you know I am not a great fool, so I cannot choose the wine in front of me."
"Are you finished?"
"Not remotely! Now, iocane powder comes from Australia, and Australia is populated by criminals. And criminals are used to having people not trust them, as you are not trusted by me, so I cannot choose the wine in front of you!"
"Truly, you have a dizzying intellect."
"Wait till I get started! Now, where was I?"
"Australia."
"Right! You knew I'd know the poison's origin, so I cannot choose the wine in front of me! You bested Taichi, which must mean you are strong, so you might rely on your strength to save you, so I clearly cannot choose the wine in front of you! However, you've bested my Spaniard, so you must have studied, and in studying, you learned that man is mortal, and so you'd put the wine as far away from you as possible, so I can't choose the wine in front of me!" The man appeared worried.
"You're stalling, trying to make me give something away."
"You're too late! You've given it *all* away!"
"Then choose!"
"I will, just as soon as-What in the world could THAT be?" The man in black whirled around, staring behind him.
"I don't see anything."
"Oh, well, it's nothing. Let's drink, you from my glass, you for yours." Koushiro was giggling.
"What's so funny?"
"I'll tell you in a minute." They raised their glasses, and drank. After putting down his glass, the man in black said,
"You guessed wrong."
"You only THINK I guessed wrong! I switched the glasses! You fell for one of the oldest blunders. The best known is 'Don't get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less known is 'NEVER GO UP AGAINST A SICILIAN WHEN *DEATH* IS ON THE LINE! Bwahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!! BWA-" There was a small thud, and Koushiro never spoke again. The man in black untied the blindfold frm Ken's eyes.
"To think, all the time the poison was in your glass?" The man shook his head.
"It was in both glasses. I've always been somewhat resistant to poison; I hoped the iocane wouldn't affect me..." There was a silent moment, and then the man in black dragged up Ken by the arm. "Come with me."
* * *
"Someone has beaten a strong man...and the prince is alive, or WAS, an hour ago. If he is otherwise when I find him, I shall be very put out."
* * *
"Sit down and rest." Ken fell onto a rock, and glared at the man in black.
"Miyako will find you, and you will suffer." The man smiled.
"Your love will not find me; but even if she does, it does not matter."
"I never said I loved her!" Ken's eyes radiated pure pain, and the man in black smiled.
"You admit you don't love your fiancé...not capable of love, you mean." Ken stared in disbelief.
"I have loved more deeply than you can ever imagine. However, it...didn't go well." Ken reeled as the man in black slapped him.
"That's the punishment for lying your highness, and remember to not say such ridiculous things anymore."
"Your cruelty reveals everything. You're the Dread Pirate Gennai. Admit it!"
"With pleasure," Gennai said with a bow. "What can I do for you?"
"You can DIE! You killed my love!" Gennai smiled patronizingly.
"It's possible. I kill a lot of people. Was this love another princess, rich and haughty?"
"No, he was poor, kind, and perfect. He wasn't the brightest, or even especially handsome by normal standards, but I loved him." Ken's eyes bore into Gennai. "He had chocolate eyes, and cinnamon hair, and a radiant beauty that you can never understand."
"I think I remember this love of yours. He died well, no pleading or begging. He only said 'please, please let me live.' And then he spoke of a love of unsurpassed beauty, loyalty, and kindness. Loyalty! Did you get engaged right away when you heard about him or did you wait a whole week out of respect for the dead?!" Ken stood up, eyes burning.
"You mock my pain!" Gennai smiled.
"Life *is* pain, your highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something."
"I died that day, and you can too!" He shoved the Dread Pirate Gennai, and the man fell down the slope into a ravine. And there was a faint cry from the falling man.
"Asssss.....youuu......wisssshhh...." Ken stared.
"Daisuke?" He tried to hurry after him, but slipped, and fell down the slope after his lover.
* * *
Part 2 is at an end, and I'll get to work on part 3 soon! Enjoy!