Disclaimer: I used to own the old version of Fushigi Yuugi. Sadly, ever since I left it in my pants in the washing machine, I have to settle for watching the new version, which does not have the original Nuriko and Hotohori kissing scenes in it. Curse censorship! -_-
A/N: A reviewer has informed me that The Prince and The Pauper does not belong to Disney. However, I am basing it on the Disney story version, which is why I gave credit to them. *nod* But as I said in the first chapter, I also give credit to its original author, who apparently is Mr. Mark Twain.
Warnings: Language, which may not quite match the type used in medieval times. *nod*
The Prince and The Pauper
Chapter 2: A Matter Of Coincidence
Suboshi whistled happily as he counted the coins in the hat. The day's haul had been the best since last week. With the money they had received for their performance, they could at least put something in their empty stomachs.
Beside the boy, Tomo yawned and scratched his tousled silvery hair as the trio walked back to the hideout. He glanced at Suboshi, annoyed. It wasn't fair! All he needed to do was use those fingers of his while they'd been dancing the whole day! He mumbled something under his breath.
Soi noticed and patted the taller boy on the back.
"Don't let it get to you. We're a team; that's how we survive, and that's what matters most," she whispered while Suboshi walked ahead of them.
"I know, I know," Tomo sighed. "It's just that I wish we had some other alternative to living like this. Day by day, barely earning enough to stay alive. What with the current famine and all, we can't even get jobs." He massaged his sore shoulders, staring at nothing in particular.
She didn't reply, instead looking at the youngest of the three. Even from a distance, Soi could recognize Suboshi's slim, scrawny figure, as well as the headband holding his straw-colored hair up.
Of all of us, he has fared the worst. A boy his age needs regular nourishment to live.
She gazed at the sky, which grew dark with the oncoming night. It was too late to purchase food now; the markets and shops closed hours ago. Only a few people wandered the streets now. Most of them had retreated into their cozy brick homes, which lined the street in an orderly manner like soldiers at attention. Soi's stomach growled a little, reminding her that she needed something to eat, and soon.
Well, I can handle one more night of starving. Tomorrow, I'm going to drag Tomo out for food shopping, whether he likes it or not. She grinned.
Shivering slightly with cold in her threadbare dress, they reached the small den they called home, glad for the chance to rest their weary bodies.
~*~
The sharp clash of steel on steel echoed down the hallways, followed by several more. Occasionally, there was the sound of a battle cry, which resulted in a particularly loud clang.
Koutoku was breathing heavily, clutching his rapier in his right hand. He glared at his assailant who stood a few meters away, out of range. Focusing, he regulated his breathing and held the rapier in a ready position. He charged, desperation in his final assault.
The man merely sidestepped the reckless move. With a swift sideways thrust, he knocked the weapon out of Koutoku's hand before touching the tip of the blade against the Prince's throat.
"Checkmate."
~*~
"It's not fair, you know. You're the master swordsman of Konan, and yet you're picking on a poor, defenseless boy like me," Koutoku grumbled good-naturedly as he wiped his sweaty forehead with a towel. Beside him on the wooden bench, Hotohori chuckled.
"Defenseless? Hardly." Hotohori pointed at the thin red line on his sword arm. "You're improving, at any rate. You managed to nick me for once. Quite an amazing feat, is it not?"
The annoyed younger cousin threw the towel into Hotohori's face, stood up and walked off, hoping that the cloth messed up his hair. He knew that the man was quite sensitive regarding his looks, which made him all the better target to tease. He headed back to his chambers and flopped onto his bed, not bothering to change out of his blue tunic, and fell asleep immediately.
Back at the training hall, Hotohori smoothed his rumpled hair. Fingering his blade, he leaned against the wall behind him and rubbed the sore line on his arm. Koutoku didn't know it, but his swordsmanship was getting better. He was certain that if his cousin were in a real battle, he could handle himself well.
Training in the night had become a sort of routine for the two of them. It had started when the young Prince had espied Hotohori practising alone in the light of the torches that illuminated the stone training hall. Curious, Koutoku had asked him to teach him how to fight.
Three years had passed since then. King Tamahome had no objections to his son's education; as a matter of fact, he enjoyed watching his son and nephew spar against one another. It was good, that the Prince was learning how to defend himself, should an assassin attack him one day. When Prince Hotohori had to return to his country, the King had employed a teacher to continue Koutoku's sword training.
Of course, there was no substitute for the best swordsman in the land.
Hotohori halted his musings and placed the blades on the rack on the wall. It was getting late; if he didn't sleep soon, he would find himself with horribly undignified bags under his eyes tomorrow.
We can't have that, can we? Hotohori thought with a wry smile.
~*~
"Tomo. Hey, Tomo, wake up already."
"Mmph... Go 'way. Feeling sick," Tomo mumbled, turning over to get away from Soi's prodding finger. His head was pounding painfully. The fact that his bed was a stone floor didn't help either. Soi felt his forehead and groaned.
"Of all the times to get a bloody fever. Suboshi and I'll be going to the market; think you'll be fine for an hour or so?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just go 'long already."
Sighing, she shook Suboshi awake. The youth blinked and focused bleary eyes on his friend.
"We're going to get food. Tomo's a tad under the weather, so he won't be coming along." She stood, lifted the sheet of cloth they called a door, and stepped outside without another word.
Suboshi rubbed his eyes, pulled off his ragged blanket and put it over his friend; if he WAS sick, he could use all the warmth they could get. Tying his headband on, he pocketed his flute and the money before exiting the dingy hovel. It wasn't much; just some rickety boards nailed together with rusty nails by Tomo, forming a hut barely big enough to accommodate the trio. No furniture, except for an old pot and a ring of stones that formed a fireplace. At one corner of the room was Suboshi's pile of firewood, as well as the axe with the crooked blade they had found in a pile of junk at the smithy's. The only other tool they had was a knife, currently tied to Suboshi's cloth belt. Three cotton blankets and an old hat made up the rest of their worldly possessions, including the clothes they had on.
The two walked off towards the marketplace, welcoming the opportunity to eat at last.
~*~
Some time later, Suboshi was trying not to drool as he carried the small sack of fresh meat back home. The money was just enough to supply them with food for another four days, and Suboshi was sure they could earn more by then. Soi was evidently satisfied as well with the grain she had in her hands.
We're gonna EAT! Eat and eat until we're so stuffed we can't eat anymore. Suboshi thought gleefully. We haven't had meat in a long long loooong while. It was pretty lucky for us that there was a guy selling his food cheap. Figures. Konan merchants have all the food they need while we're starving. Oh well; that ain't the point. I can't wait for Soi to start cooking, and then we can finally ea—
One moment, the sack was in the boy's hands, and the next, it wasn't.
"What the--?"
A large dog, the neck of the sack in its jaws, was high-tailing it away from the duo. Soi was aghast as she saw the animal run away with their hard-earned food. However, Suboshi was already running after it, shouting a stream of curses that made the ladies in the street glare at him and cover their children's ears. Some of the men laughed at the boy.
"You stupid mutt! Get back here!! I swear, I'm gonna strangle you and flay the flea-bitten fur offa you and have you for my dinner!!! GIVE THE DAMNED FOOD BACK!!!"
Soi merely deposited her sack in the hut before going after Suboshi at a more leisurely pace.
Well, no meat for today, I guess. Looks like we'll have to settle for gruel. It's a good thing I didn't buy everything today; I just hope that boy doesn't get himself into trouble…
~*~
The guards at the gate were surprised, to say the least, to see a dog run past them and through the open gates, followed by an enraged youth yelling at the top of his voice. This all happened too quickly for them to stop the boy in time; if they had done so, perhaps they could have prevented him from crashing right into a certain blond-haired Shogun. He eeped. Before he could attempt to escape, Nakago picked him up by the scruff of his shirt.
"Well well well…look what we have here. One of the rats that dwell in the filthy streets," Nakago sneered as Suboshi squirmed in his grasp. Behind the Shogun, a few of his flunkies sniggered. "The castle is off-limits to rodents, boy. We don't need anything else to spread the filth around here, especially with the King's…condition."
Suboshi glared defiantly at his tormentor. He noticed that the dog was chewing on HIS meat as it lay at the feet of one of the guards, who smirked. He impulsively lashed out with a punch at Nakago's face, but the man merely caught the arm and bent it backwards. Suboshi flinched and barely prevented a scream of pain from escaping his mouth. Try as he might, he couldn't remove his wrist from the iron grip. Kicking was useless as Nakago was wearing armour, with engravings of dragons on it; the distinctive insignia of Kutou's general.
"I know many appropriate ways to deal with rats, boy…and I think you need a lesson on YOUR place in society."
~*~
Koutoku sighed and looked out the window as Chiriko droned on and on about the principles of economics. It wasn't that he hated the young tutor; it was just that he hated the subject. Particularly, anything to do with numbers. The Prince wondered what the tutor would do if he abruptly decided to jump out the window and onto the grass that grew in the soil just below said window.
Letting his gaze wander, Koutoku noticed that there was someone at the castle gate. Squinting, he noticed that Nakago was standing there, holding a young boy about his age by his clothes. The boy was struggling to free himself, it seemed. Curious and a bit cross with his father's Shogun, he stood to get a better view of he scene. Chiriko noticed and looked out as well.
"Do not concern yourself with that beggar below, Your Highness. We have to get back to your studies. Nakago-sama will handle him."
Koutoku ignored him, opened the window and leaned out. "Nakago," he called with a commanding tone to his voice, "stop manhandling that boy. Even the poorest citizen of the kingdom should be treated with respect. Have him come up here immediately."
Chiriko raised an eyebrow. "If Your Highness does not mind me asking; what did you do that for?"
Koutoku closed the window and turned to his tutor. "Nakago may have been appointed Shogun by my father, but no man has the right to abuse a person of lower upbringing. You of all people, Chiriko-san, should know that. I will return in a few minutes."
With that, he left the library. The Royal Tutor shook his head and adjusted his glasses before taking in his seat and reading a textbook.
~*~
Nakago scowled darkly and released his captive. "The Prince wants to see you."
Suboshi didn't know whether to pounce on the shogun in retaliation or let his jaw drop at what he'd heard. The chance for an audience with a member of the royal family was as slim as finding a needle in a haystack. Deciding on the latter decision, he swallowed nervously and nodded before walking through the doors of the castle.
The Prince wants to see me! Man, that's the highest honour a guy could get! Wait…what if he's gonna punish me for trespassing? Or for fighting with one of his men? Holy crap…
…And just WHERE the heck am I supposed to go?! This place is like a maze…
Sure enough, the boy had gotten lost among the dingy stone halls that made up most of the castle. He looked around, taking in the sight of the elaborate tapestries and paintings hanging on the walls. The very carpet he was walking on would probably cost enough money in itself to buy food for a year.
Suboshi paused, looked very, very carefully at the carpet, and decided to completely avoid walking on it with his muddy shoes by flattening himself against the wall and inching sideways like some spy trying not to get caught.
If Soi saw me now, I'd never hear the end of it.
He was so preoccupied that he didn't notice the person standing in front of him until he impacted with an 'oof'. Suboshi was rather strong for his age, but much to his surprise, he fell over instead of the other person.
"Ah! I'm sorry…are you alright?" a soft, lilting voice asked, and Suboshi was pulled up to his feet. A bit embarrassed, he dusted the seat of his pants and looked up.
It was a servant of the royal court. Her violet hair was braided in a thick rope that extended to her waist, and she was clad in the simple black cotton dress and white apron that marked her station. A mole rested about an inch below her left eye, which seemed to gleam with hidden amusement. Her skin was fair in its complexion, which made her all the more beautiful. She certainly was well endowed…
Blushing at the direction his thoughts were taking, Suboshi sheepishly scratched his head. "I'm fine…I'm just lost, that's all."
An eyebrow was raised. "Lost, you say? What, or rather who, were you looking for?"
"Um…the Prince."
"Is that so?" the lady grinned, which was rather unusual since most 'ladies' which he'd met were either demure or downright scary. "Well, lad, if you're telling the truth, and you're not just some ruffian asking for trouble, I'll lead you to His Highness."
"Really? Thanks a lot, Ms…"
"Nuriko. Just call me Nuriko," she smiled.
~*~
Koutoku idly walked down the corridor, his footsteps muted on the carpeting. Idly, he wondered just what he had gotten himself into.
Sure, it all seemed fine and dandy when you thought of it at the time; a gesture of compassion for the boy. But why didn't you just ask Nakago to let him go and leave it at that? For all you know, that boy could be plotting something.
…My father has taught me that equality should be practised by any ruler. It is from that that he receives the loyalty of his subjects. All men are equal, whether they be sovereign or servant.
"If I might ask; what are you doing out of class, Koutoku?" a bass voice interrupted his musings. Koutoku looked up into the frowning features of his cousin.
"I have a guest, of sorts, which I have to meet immediately."
"Ambassador?"
"No."
"Neighbouring king?"
"No."
"…Prospective girlfriend?"
Koutoku glared at Hotohori. "NO. It is but a mere peasant. I saw Nakago harassing him at the gate."
Hotohori fell in step with the young Prince. "I suppose this would be your opportunity to discover what lies 'outside the walls'?" he commented casually.
"Don't make fun of me, Hotohori; I was serious about what I said. And yes, I suppose that I could learn a few things about my father's people from a…personal…point of view."
"I was not making fun of you. I suppose this IS a good chance--"
The words stopped along with his legs, and Hotohori blinked as he saw the two people who walked up to him. He knew one of them; she was a new servant, hired recently; but the other was…
~*~
Suboshi stared.
Koutoku stared.
Insert long pause.
…
"GAAAAAAAAAAHH!!! HE LOOKS LIKE ME!!!"
-to be continued…
A/N: Aha! Evil cliff-hanger! '^_^'
Alas, I have succumbed to the curse of Page Divider Obsession. *nod* If you counted, you would find NINE of these -à~*~ altogether. Now normally, if this was one of Ryuen's or Roku's 10,000+ word stories, this would be peeeeerfectly fine. However, this story has only 3000. Thus, I have overdone it by 6 dividers. That's 333.333333 words for one divider, whereas Ryuen's would be 1111.111111 words a divider. So you see, it is unbalanced. And I have a lot of free time as well to do calculations. *pops medication into mouth and keeps calculator* Lalalala. ^_^
Also, I apologize for any blandness, typos, description mistakes and so on in this fic. Just read with an open mind and repeat after me: "This is an AU. This is an AU."
Also, if you haven't noticed it already, there WILL be Nuri/Hoto-ness in the course of this fic. I really can't resist the urge to put 'em in. And yes, Nuriko is a girl. *hides behind Impenetrable Barrier™ to avoid the raging fangirls* But worry not; the fic will center on the twins, though it's a struggle to not change it into a sap fest between my two favourite bishounen.
Also, some of you may be wondering why Nuriko didn't make the connection between Suboshi and Koutoku earlier. My reasoning is that since Nuriko is just a servant, she hasn't really seen much of the prince since she came three months ago. And besides, I'm sure she would've been too busy admiring Hotohori to look closely anyway ^^
Also, other people will be appearing soon. It was a bit of a squeeze cramming everyone into this tale (the original outline consists solely of the Prince, Pauper, King, Tutor, Captain of the Guard and Archbishop) but I have succeeded, and if the reviews keep coming, I shall continue.
Also, I have taken ill with the odd and widespread PurpleMouse&Ryuen Syndrome. This means constant ehehehehs, lalalas, sarcastic first-person POVs and of course, the urge to write Nuriko and Hotohori romance. ^_~ Because of my ailment, I may have deviated from the speech and storytelling patterns used in this sort of fic.
Also, I am currently celebrating the end of the school year. ^_^ PARTY TIME!!!!
Also, I am running out of 'alsos'. ^_^ Until the next chapter!