Chapter 12
Night fell on the Wolf City. With the great castle draped in black, the two warriors snuck in. Down the dark halls they crept, poking their heads into each door to see if they could find one of their friends. In particular, they were looking for Chichiri and Tomo.
They finally found the two, strapped down on two tables, sitting besides themselves, and they seemed to be sleeping . . . or at least, that was what they hoped they were doing.
Miboshi stepped over Tomo's body and felt his neck. "Oh," he sighed, "they're asleep. But they might not be for too long. Let's get them out of here. Help me, Tasuki."
Tasuki pulled out his fan, and Miboshi slapped him over the head. "What are you thinking?!" he cried softly. "You can't use that!"
"Sure I can," Tasuki said, calmly, "I'm going to burn the ropes."
"First of all," Miboshi said, "those are chains, not mere ropes. Secondly, you could burn those two with it. Just break the darn things open."
There was no pad lock for the chains. There was nothing in the room to help them break the chains. Miboshi summoned a small demon, and it began to gnaw at the chains, until finally, the bonds that held both Chichiri and Miboshi were undone.
Miboshi shook Tomo awake. "Come on, you got to get up! They've drugged the others, and we have no way of bringing them back. Only you guys can do that."
"Miboshi?" said a squeaky voice. He turned to see that Tasuki had woken Chichiri up. The monk know sat up, staring at him. "I don't know if Tomo will be getting up so easily, no da. He had to take some worse stuff than I did, no da. In any case . . . the old man took all of our powers for himself, no da. We are now just regular people, no da."
"Then what are we going to do?!" Tasuki cried. Miboshi tried to hush him down.
"Sorry," Tasuki said, a bit quieter.
"Your Emperor is now the Wolf King," Miboshi told Chichiri. "And Nakago is his general. They know nothing. They have been drugged, and we need to snap them out of their spells."
"I'm afraid I can't help," Chichiri said, "like I said . . . the old man drained out our powers for himself, no da. He's the one who would know how to bring them back, no da, but I don't think he'll let them go back, no da."
"Right," Tasuki said, "let's kill the old man, then."
"You can't do that!" Chichiri explained. "He holds our powers! You would be killing off our powers, and the others would be stuck under his spell forever."
"Then what do we do?" Tasuki asked.
"You have to find something, something strong enough to break the spell binding the others, no da. The spell has taken away their memory, so you must find something that will bring their memory back, no da."
"But what?" Miboshi asked.
Chichiri reached into his hat, but found he could not pull anything out of it.
"Allow me," Tasuki said. He reached in, and pulled out . . . a box of cheez its.
"Well," Miboshi said, "that at least solves the problem with Nakago. But . . . what about Hotohori?"
Tasuki reached in, but nothing else came out.
"We'll have to think of something later," Miboshi said. "I think I hear someone coming!" He hoisted Tomo onto his back, and the three made their way to the back of the room. There was no door here.
"Great," Tasuki growled. "We're stuck! Trapped! What the hell do we do now?! That old man is going to suck the rest of our powers out and then kill us!"
"Wait!" Chichiri said, and went to one of the book shelves. He began pulling out books, to which Tasuki rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing?!" he cried softly. "This ain't no time for reading!"
Suddenly, with the pulling out of one old black book, the shelf swung open, and lo and behold! a secret passage way was revealed. The warriors slipt into the passage way, and the shelf went back in place, throwing them all into the darkness.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" Tasuki yelled.
"Will you lower your voice?!" Miboshi hushed at him, and he bopped him on the head. The three scuttled down the passage way, heading through a long, dark tunnel that was sweeping downwards. Finally, they emerged into a room with a long table and some bottles and papers strewn across it. Sitting in a chair in the corner was Mitsukake.
"Mitsukake," Tasuki hissed. The doctor turned around, eyeing the three suspiciously.
"What?" he said, his voice low.
"Remember us?" Tasuki asked. ;Miboshi hit him over the head again.
"Of course he doesn't remember us," Miboshi said, "he's been drugged.
"Do you REALLY have to keep hitting me like that?!" Tasuki cried.
"Lower your voice!" Chichiri said, and hit him on the head with his staff.
Mitsukake gasped. "You two . . . you were the ones who were supposed to be executed this morning!"
"Shut your mouth, Mitsukake!" Tasuki said.
The doctor leapt to his feet and ran out of the room. Tasuki followed, and being the faster runner, jumped on top of Mitsukake, and held him there, putting a hand to his mouth.
"You have to believe us, Mitsukake," Chichiri said, coming up to them. "You're not in your right mind. You are a celestial warrior of Suzaku, not a doctor for the Wolf King."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mitsukake said, after bitting Tasuki on the hand. Tasuki gave a cry, and Miboshi bopped him on the head again.
Suddenly, Tasuki had an idea. He took down Chichiri's hat, and lo and behold! he brought forth Tama. The cat mewed, and Tasuki smiled.
Mitsukake was confused. "A cat in the hat?"
"And there's more to it than that," Chichiri said.
"What is this supposed to do?"
"Bring out the real you."
"Will that really work?"
"Just remember, you big dumb jerk!"
"Do you have to be so mean?"
"Could you be a bit more keen?"
"We're running out of time," Tasuki said.
"I guess I should finish this rhyme," Chichiri said.
"So. you pulled out a cat in the hat?" That was Mitsukake.
"And it's as simple as THAT."
Mitsukake blinked. "Hey . . . Tama! And . . .what are you guys doing, huh? Hey . . .where are we?"
"He's back!" Tasuki cried. "I'm a genius!"
Three bops to the head were given to Tasuki. "Shut up!"
The four made their way down the hall, and Chichiri began to talk rapidly to Mitsukake. "We have to find Hotohori and Nakago," he said, "and then . . . we must find that old man, no da."
"Why the old man?" Tasuki asked.
"Don't ask such a stupid question," Miboshi said, ready to bop him on the head.
"To get my powers back, Tasuki," Chichiri said. "Me and Tomo are powerless now, no da."
"And how do we do that?" Miboshi asked. Just then, they turned a corner and ran into Nakago.
Nakago blinked, and narrowed his eyes on the four. "It's you two," he growled.
Tasuki was quick. He shoved the box of cheez its in Nakago's face just as his battle aura was rising within him. Nakago saw the cheez its, grabbed them, and said, "Okay, I'm back."
"Whew," Tasuki said, "that was close."
The five walked down the halls some more, Nakago being very happy that he had his cheez its. Tama mewed. Miboshi hit Tasuki over the head just because.
Meanwhile, the Damsels were still sleeping.
Night fell on the Wolf City. With the great castle draped in black, the two warriors snuck in. Down the dark halls they crept, poking their heads into each door to see if they could find one of their friends. In particular, they were looking for Chichiri and Tomo.
They finally found the two, strapped down on two tables, sitting besides themselves, and they seemed to be sleeping . . . or at least, that was what they hoped they were doing.
Miboshi stepped over Tomo's body and felt his neck. "Oh," he sighed, "they're asleep. But they might not be for too long. Let's get them out of here. Help me, Tasuki."
Tasuki pulled out his fan, and Miboshi slapped him over the head. "What are you thinking?!" he cried softly. "You can't use that!"
"Sure I can," Tasuki said, calmly, "I'm going to burn the ropes."
"First of all," Miboshi said, "those are chains, not mere ropes. Secondly, you could burn those two with it. Just break the darn things open."
There was no pad lock for the chains. There was nothing in the room to help them break the chains. Miboshi summoned a small demon, and it began to gnaw at the chains, until finally, the bonds that held both Chichiri and Miboshi were undone.
Miboshi shook Tomo awake. "Come on, you got to get up! They've drugged the others, and we have no way of bringing them back. Only you guys can do that."
"Miboshi?" said a squeaky voice. He turned to see that Tasuki had woken Chichiri up. The monk know sat up, staring at him. "I don't know if Tomo will be getting up so easily, no da. He had to take some worse stuff than I did, no da. In any case . . . the old man took all of our powers for himself, no da. We are now just regular people, no da."
"Then what are we going to do?!" Tasuki cried. Miboshi tried to hush him down.
"Sorry," Tasuki said, a bit quieter.
"Your Emperor is now the Wolf King," Miboshi told Chichiri. "And Nakago is his general. They know nothing. They have been drugged, and we need to snap them out of their spells."
"I'm afraid I can't help," Chichiri said, "like I said . . . the old man drained out our powers for himself, no da. He's the one who would know how to bring them back, no da, but I don't think he'll let them go back, no da."
"Right," Tasuki said, "let's kill the old man, then."
"You can't do that!" Chichiri explained. "He holds our powers! You would be killing off our powers, and the others would be stuck under his spell forever."
"Then what do we do?" Tasuki asked.
"You have to find something, something strong enough to break the spell binding the others, no da. The spell has taken away their memory, so you must find something that will bring their memory back, no da."
"But what?" Miboshi asked.
Chichiri reached into his hat, but found he could not pull anything out of it.
"Allow me," Tasuki said. He reached in, and pulled out . . . a box of cheez its.
"Well," Miboshi said, "that at least solves the problem with Nakago. But . . . what about Hotohori?"
Tasuki reached in, but nothing else came out.
"We'll have to think of something later," Miboshi said. "I think I hear someone coming!" He hoisted Tomo onto his back, and the three made their way to the back of the room. There was no door here.
"Great," Tasuki growled. "We're stuck! Trapped! What the hell do we do now?! That old man is going to suck the rest of our powers out and then kill us!"
"Wait!" Chichiri said, and went to one of the book shelves. He began pulling out books, to which Tasuki rolled his eyes.
"What are you doing?!" he cried softly. "This ain't no time for reading!"
Suddenly, with the pulling out of one old black book, the shelf swung open, and lo and behold! a secret passage way was revealed. The warriors slipt into the passage way, and the shelf went back in place, throwing them all into the darkness.
"Hey! Who turned out the lights?!" Tasuki yelled.
"Will you lower your voice?!" Miboshi hushed at him, and he bopped him on the head. The three scuttled down the passage way, heading through a long, dark tunnel that was sweeping downwards. Finally, they emerged into a room with a long table and some bottles and papers strewn across it. Sitting in a chair in the corner was Mitsukake.
"Mitsukake," Tasuki hissed. The doctor turned around, eyeing the three suspiciously.
"What?" he said, his voice low.
"Remember us?" Tasuki asked. ;Miboshi hit him over the head again.
"Of course he doesn't remember us," Miboshi said, "he's been drugged.
"Do you REALLY have to keep hitting me like that?!" Tasuki cried.
"Lower your voice!" Chichiri said, and hit him on the head with his staff.
Mitsukake gasped. "You two . . . you were the ones who were supposed to be executed this morning!"
"Shut your mouth, Mitsukake!" Tasuki said.
The doctor leapt to his feet and ran out of the room. Tasuki followed, and being the faster runner, jumped on top of Mitsukake, and held him there, putting a hand to his mouth.
"You have to believe us, Mitsukake," Chichiri said, coming up to them. "You're not in your right mind. You are a celestial warrior of Suzaku, not a doctor for the Wolf King."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Mitsukake said, after bitting Tasuki on the hand. Tasuki gave a cry, and Miboshi bopped him on the head again.
Suddenly, Tasuki had an idea. He took down Chichiri's hat, and lo and behold! he brought forth Tama. The cat mewed, and Tasuki smiled.
Mitsukake was confused. "A cat in the hat?"
"And there's more to it than that," Chichiri said.
"What is this supposed to do?"
"Bring out the real you."
"Will that really work?"
"Just remember, you big dumb jerk!"
"Do you have to be so mean?"
"Could you be a bit more keen?"
"We're running out of time," Tasuki said.
"I guess I should finish this rhyme," Chichiri said.
"So. you pulled out a cat in the hat?" That was Mitsukake.
"And it's as simple as THAT."
Mitsukake blinked. "Hey . . . Tama! And . . .what are you guys doing, huh? Hey . . .where are we?"
"He's back!" Tasuki cried. "I'm a genius!"
Three bops to the head were given to Tasuki. "Shut up!"
The four made their way down the hall, and Chichiri began to talk rapidly to Mitsukake. "We have to find Hotohori and Nakago," he said, "and then . . . we must find that old man, no da."
"Why the old man?" Tasuki asked.
"Don't ask such a stupid question," Miboshi said, ready to bop him on the head.
"To get my powers back, Tasuki," Chichiri said. "Me and Tomo are powerless now, no da."
"And how do we do that?" Miboshi asked. Just then, they turned a corner and ran into Nakago.
Nakago blinked, and narrowed his eyes on the four. "It's you two," he growled.
Tasuki was quick. He shoved the box of cheez its in Nakago's face just as his battle aura was rising within him. Nakago saw the cheez its, grabbed them, and said, "Okay, I'm back."
"Whew," Tasuki said, "that was close."
The five walked down the halls some more, Nakago being very happy that he had his cheez its. Tama mewed. Miboshi hit Tasuki over the head just because.
Meanwhile, the Damsels were still sleeping.