Misao's Magic Lamp
Part 2
Disclaimers: I do NOT own the following RK characters that would appear in this fic. I do not own Aladdin, that particular version is Disney's. I don't own any fairy tale or any event derived from any fairy tale either. I'm JUST borrowing them okay? Whew, that was a long one.
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"Oi Misao-chan, are you sure about this particular task?" asked Sanosuke, the concern evident in his voice as they stood before the cave. Kanryuu was standing near the side, smirking as Misao turned to Sano and answered.
"Hai Sanosuke. I wouldn't do it if I think there's any other choice. Besides, I think we have to take a risk like this if we want our lives to get better," answered Misao.
Kanryuu talked then and gave Yahiko a huge pouch of gold coins. Yahiko reluctantly accepted it, a frown of distaste of his face. Kanryuu then discreetly wiped his hands and in a false voice he said, " Well, I'll leave you good people to your duty now. A word of advice, a wise doctor Genzai said that in the darkness of night, when the wind seems to whisper questions of mystery, if correctly answered it is only then one could enter the cave of wonders."
Misao sent Yahiko flying to hit Kanryuu. She was panting as she asked, a prominent vein ticking her head. "Baka! I thought I was only going to your ancestor's burial chamber in the cave! What the heck is this cave of wonders crap?!" yelled Misao as Yahiko sat on the desert sand, rubbing his butt.
A cold sweat appeared on Kanryuu's face and nervously he stuttered, "Ano... it IS my ancestor's burial chamber... he died there and we weren't able to retrieve his body my lovely Misao."
Misao scratched her chin thoughtfully as she tapped her foot. Sano and Yahiko fidgeted and Kanryuu alternately paled and grew a bilious shade of yellow. Misao stopped tapping her foot as she looked at Kanryuu, her eyes dark and serious as she said, "Do you really think I'm lovely?"
Sano and Yahiko collapsed in a heap. "Kuso Weasel! You're an ugly, flat-chested street weasel, I can't believe you're gullible enough to believe this hiretsukan's empty compliments?" thundered Sano, red-faced as Yahiko was still sputtering.
"Did you just call me flat-chested and ugly Sanosuke?" asked Misao her head bowed and her voice deceptively soft. Yahiko nodded vehemently at that as he said, "Che weasel-girl, of course he just called you that, it's a fact isn't it?"
"DON"T CALL ME FLAT-CHESTED AND UGLY" screamed Misao as her fists, large enough to shame Popeye sent Yahiko and Sano into orbit, with kunais embedded in their butts and huge lumps sprouting on their heads. Kanryuu looked amazed at Misao's prowess but she was still angry enough to bite.
Misao marched into the cave, completely forgetting the peril, muttering about the utter and complete denseness and loss of sensibility in today's Japanese male. "Baka. Those guys can't recognize beauty unless it kicks them in their rear!"
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Hours later as Misao, Sano and Yahiko ventured deeper into the cave, Misao was regretting her impetuousness earlier. The cave smelled of smoke and dead earth. It was really dark and every now and then, Misao would get the feeling that someone or maybe something was watching and following them.
In a low whisper, Yahiko asked Misao, "Oi Misao, I can hear something rustling ahead of us." Misao stopped walking and listened carefully. Sure enough, the rustling stopped as soon as Misao listened. Sano got really freaked out. He ran ahead into the darkness and Misao turned to run after him.
As Misao was running after Sano, something wrapped itself around her legs, making her stumble and fall flat on her face. "OOMPH!" grunted Misao as she crashed down. 'Something is holding onto my legs," thought Misao frantically as she struggled to free her legs. It was a futile gesture and she can only pray that Yahiko would reach her soon or that Sano even look back and help her out.
"Misao!" yelled Yahiko as he reached his fallen comrade, the torch he was carrying revealing Misao still flat on her face, a tatami wrapped snugly at her from waist down.
"Yahiko! I can't get this 'THING' off! It's worse than cat hair!" yelled Misao even as she tried tugging the tatami off with both hands. Yahiko joined in helping Misao unwrap the mat but it seems it was far too intent on wrapping itself around the young girl's legs. Misao stood up shakily, still hobbled by the tatami, took a few hopping steps and fell flat on her face again. Yahiko began laughing and Misao uttered a few blasphemies.
Suddenly, the tatami flew off Misao's legs and began whirling over Yahiko's head. Yahiko ducked and yelped while Misao stood on shaking knees. 'The tatami was actually flying!' thought Misao dazedly as she whipped out her kunais, ready to bring down the supernatural foe.
The tatami seemed to have guessed her intent and quieted down, docilely spreading itself in front of her. It gestured at it's back and Yahiko then understood. "Oi, Misao. I think it just wants to take us where we're heading!" surmised Yahiko which sparked a flurry of twists and spins in the tatami excitedly.
Misao watched it suspiciously but the thought of walking for Kami-sama knows how far defeated her. "Hai, Yahiko. I think we better get on this thing if we want to finish our job early," said Misao as she tucked her kunais in her obi again.
Enthusiastically, Yahiko climbed atop its back and Misao gingerly followed. The tatami raised a few feet off the ground and flew in a dizzying blur. Yahiko was laughing excitedly while Misao was just too smug. 'Hmm, stupid roosterhead never got to ride this great tatami!" thought Misao as they sped away.
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"Weasel? Yahiko-chan?" burst out Sano as he saw the two riding atop a flying tatami. He rubbed his eyes, praying it was all an illusion but when Misao and Yahiko waved at him, he conceded his vision was correct. Unless of course, this was just some crazy dream.
He stood at a huge gothic gate, its entrance firmly locked. His hands were tucked in his pockets as he waited for his companions. Misao and Yahiko hopped off the tatami and the tatami held itself in an upright position which was really strange.
"Chikusho! The gate is locked?" asked Misao as she eyed the gate in askance. Sano nodded and even demonstrated the immobility of the gate by pushing at it. "So, how do we get in?" asked Yahiko as he touched one of the golden keyholes. Despite the wear of age in the gate's appearance, it still managed to convey an image of power and wealth.
"By uttering magic words maybe?" suggested Sano sarcastically who was really pissed at the job Kanryuu had given them. At that, the tatami began whirling about again, clearly indicating that Sano's suggestion was correct. Yahiko's jaw dropped as Misao scratched her head, deep in thought.
"Bibity bobity boo?" said Yahiko feebly and the huge gate seemed to groan.
"Hocus Pocus!" yelled Sano and the gate seemed to groan louder.
Misao's eyes lit up as she yelled even louder, "Open Sesame!" and at that, the gate began to open slowly, it's hinges groaning as finally, after so many centuries, the gate is once again opened.
"How'd you know that?" asked Yahiko as they sped inside the open gates although the area was still covered with a thick dusty air.
Misao flashed him a cocky grin accompanied by weasel ears. "I read it somewhere!" she yelled as they ran inside the dust filled room.
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When the dust settled and Misao and the others looked around the room, their jaws practically hit the ground. You really can't call it a room because it was cavernous, with high ceilings and wide spaces that were stacked with chests and jars and practically every known container filled with gold and jewels.
"YATTA!" shouted Sano as he ran to one of the largest chests and opened it with a gleeful cackle. He grabbed a fistful of jewels, as large as his fist and studied it with a gleam in his eye. 'Maybe I can woo the kitsune doctor/heiress with this' he considered thoughtfully.
Yahiko however was thinking of more practical matters even as he draped a luxurious real necklace over himself. "Oi, Misao, maybe we can find the lamp Kanryuu was asking us so that we can get this lovely babies!" yelled Yahiko.
Misao looked up from the deep barrel she was digging. When she looked up, a diamond tiara, a ruby and emerald necklace was draped over her throat. Every finger had a ring stuck on it and huge armlets and bracelets adorned Misao's arms. She grinned fatuously at Yahiko who had steam coming out of his head.
"Kuso Weasel! You can't take anything unless we get Kanryuu's stupid lamp! So maybe we can find it now so that we can have our fun!" fumed Yahiko as he shook the ninja girl.
Misao suddenly turned serious as the jewelry she was wearing slipped off her anyway. "You're right Yahiko. Hmm, if I was a lamp, where would I be?"
"Baka no weasel. A lamp can't exactly hide itself! It was probably hidden by some ahou who dislike the dark," grumbled Sano as he walked over to stand beside the two. Misao had her kunais ready in a flash as she whirled the beat the crap out of Sano when she noticed a lamp out of the corner of her eye.
"Sugoi..." breathed Misao as she stopped and stared at the lamp from its precarious position. A simple golden lamp was found above a rock formation about seventeen feet high right in the middle of this strange cavern. The rock formation was formed in such a way that it wouldn't be able to support the weight of a person without tilting and crushing the person.
"Masaka... how do we get the lamp Misao?" asked Yahiko as he gazed and tried to calculate a possible solution to their problem. There seemed to be none available and he turned to Misao with slumped shoulders. He then noticed the purposeful gleam in the weasel girl's eyes.
"What are you planning Misao?" asked Sano as he surmised from the expression on the girl's face that she had a plan.
Misao gave a confident shrug as she explained. "You know guys that I was an Oniwabanshuu heiress before my clan got destroyed by Shishio in the last war. We had similar tests like these and usually, it was only I who got away with the prize," said Misao as she began circling the rock formation.
"Yokatta, now can you show us how you do it?" asked Yahiko impatiently.
"Mochiron. Watch and learn from the expert little guy," said Misao as she poised to jump.
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"Sugoi!!!" yelled Yahiko when Misao landed on her feet gracefully, clutching the lamp in her arms. The young girl was panting lightly after her exersion but she was grinning smugly.
"Che, I didn't know weasels could fly too..." said Sano grudgingly as he lumbered over to Misao who stuck her tongue out at him.
Misao had used her momentum from her jump to leap against the walls and some tall piles of gold and jewels to reach the high formation. When she got close enough she snatched the lamp off neatly and propelled herself down once again. It was over in less than a minute.
Misao pushed her braid off her shoulder and grinned, "All right guys, let's fill our pockets with gold!" she yelled. But then suddenly, the cavern dimmed and began to tremble. The tatami began flying around in agitated motions as it circled above Misao, Yahiko and Sano.
"My God, what now?" asked Sano as rocks began falling around the place. Hurriedly, they climbed atop the tatami as it sped away from the treasures, dodging rocks and debris as the cave threatened to collapse.
Kanryuu who was waiting for them at the other side heard the rumbling and groaning sound. The entrance to the cave was blocked by a huge stone that crashed down sinking beneath the desert floor. Kanryuu was able to run away in time to see the cave totally sink beneath the desert's dunes.
His political ambitions crashed as surely as the Cave of Wonders as it disappeared beneath the desert floor. "Chikusho!" he yelled in frustration. Without the lamp's power, how can he gain control over Japan? His magic mirror told him that it was Misao Mikimachi, the only living descendant of Oniwabanshuu could retrieve the magic lamp but it seems that even she has failed.
He then walked away from the rippling dunes, overcome by the bitter taste of defeat.
Part 3