To Worship an Onigiri
Co-Written by Fedora Lekaios and BlackRose33
For Kyo Sohma, the infamous henchman to Akito, Tohru Honda was just a spoiled princess that needed to be kidnapped and a way to piss off his cousin, Prince Yuki. There's no way in hell that he'd ever fall for her... Right?
Chapter One
Outside, the sun was shining heavenly and the baby white clouds were floating lazily about. It seemed there was not a care in the world for the bustling Snow Kingdom... for there had not been a war in over a decade and the deadly Ghost Emperor, Akito, seemed pacified with his thirst for bloodshed.
The King had decided to venture throughout the Orient, trading spices and goods with different countries. Yet, inside the cluttered confines of a single room, Prince Yuki sat painstakingly with his feather and ink signing piles and piles of white, blanch documents.
Suddenly, a foreign piece of parchment fluttered in the breeze and onto his desk.
Or so it would seem.
A girl so pure,
So very serene.
With a heart of gold,
And eyes of jade,
And a cheery demeanor,
That will never fade.
Yuki gently put down his feather ink pen, pushed away his regal papers, and stared at the parchment before him with unblinking intensity.
He glanced up at the tall, dark, and handsome man that stood before him with all the innocence and sincerity of a puppy. Wearing only a simple gray kimono with a worn leather belt with pouches, the man looked entrusting, gallant, wise, and dreamy— all at once. But as the wise saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover."
"Shigure...you wrote this?" Yuki asked, completely masking the obvious shadow of doubt in his voice.
"Yes, doesn't it describe our beloved Tohru wonderfully?" Shigure asked as he laughed maniacally with his head back. The room suddenly darkened and an ear-splitting thunderbolt crashed nearby. When he calmed himself, Shigure whispered secretively, "Do you want to know the secret behind my ideas?"
"Not really." Yuki murmured, as he vainly tried to locate his box of matches in order to relight the candles. Without a fail, the weather always matched the crazy fool's mood. It so happened that the fine weather had turned to slight drizzling.
Shigure pretended not to notice as he said overly enthusiastically, "Yes, my prince, isn't it lovely? My inspiration came when we all went to swim in the lagoon, and beautiful, exquisite Tohru wore nothing else but a—"
"SHIGURE!" Yuki shouted, the box of matches that he had just found went flying, as he jumped up from his chair. A few moments later, realizing that he was overreacting, again, at the sound of Tohru's name, he sighed, "Please...just go away. I have a lot of papers to sign and organize today."
"I see...I'll just have to give this divine symbol of my devotion to Tohru later. Maybe she's in the garden, or the kitchen, or possibly in her bedroom asleep, or perchance in the sauna room basking in the pleasing heat..."
"Shigure, I shall you give you three seconds to leave the premises before I throw you out the window."
Shigure laughed goofily, and replied, "My prince is so funny today! Ha, ha, ha, throw me out the window, that's preposterous—"
He had absolutely no idea what hit him when he felt his feet lifted from the floor and unceremoniously chucked outside the window, and into the royal lagoon.
Everyone inside the castle could hear a deafening splash.
Agatha, the oldest servant, remarked, "Is it just my prehistoric earshot, or did I hear a stupid mutt dive into the lagoon?"
Abigail, the youngest servant, good-naturedly replied, "No, dear Agatha, it's just Shigure."
The rest of the women laughed at the inside joke—everyone in the castle knew of Shigure's womanizing antics and how Prince Yuki always managed to get rid of him.
Meanwhile, Yuki silently chuckled, as he recollected a fine poem written by the famous Japanese poet, Basho:
Yuki whipped out his feather pen and made a few adjustments on a fresh piece of parchment:
An ancient lagoon; A dog leaps in, The sound of stupidity. Yuki carefully placed the parchment on a shelf and admired the poetic words: amazing, Prince Yuki discovered the reason for Shigure's passion for poetry.
In the bustling streets of Snow town, Tohru picked up a little book of poetry and genuinely smiled. Today, she had wanted to pick up some groceries and little presents for everyone in the castle.
Shigure would love this, I just know it. Tohru thought as she paid for the little book. The old woman nervously handed her the change and immediately locked her store door as soon as Tohru had left.
The reason behind the old manager's actions was the armada of knights, pages, horses, and footmen that stood formidably and stolidly. With strict orders, they were to stand exactly twenty paces from Tohru at all times. The general dared not go against Yuki's direct orders, especially when it came to Princess Tohru.
Tohru was a visiting princess and had arrived only a few weeks ago, yet she managed to befriend so many allies and friends with her calming demeanor. She was also a key deciding factor in keeping the peace between the Snow Kingdom and the Honda Kingdom.
Hatsuharu Sohma, a page with stormy gray eyes, remarked, "Must we bake in the godforsaken sun in our chain mail and body armor because of her?"
Momiji Sohma, his fellow cousin and page, replied, "Oh Haru, we should feel honored to be in the grace of her....in the grace of her....what's the word?"
Sir Hatori, the wisest of knights, filled in the blank with little constraint, "In the grace of her Majesty, Momiji. For that, you will have two hours of grammar with your English tutor."
"Aw...Tori, but I hate grammar!"
"Then I shall personally request for four extra hours of grammar."
"Tori, you're so dull!" Momiji whined as the rest of the pages snickered and hid their chuckles. Poor Momiji, having to serve the rest of his page- hood under Sir Hatori!
Tohru continued on her quest for nameless groceries and gifts, when suddenly, the clouds became dark and rain droplets dropped from the sky. The farmers, children, and elders rejoiced, for rain came rarely in the Snow Kingdom. Everyone laughed at the fortunate luck. Even the tense troops seemed to relax as they cupped their hands and drank the pouring rain graciously.
"The heavens are crying." Momiji said softly as he lifted his hand to the sky. He was one of the few that did not have a smile on his face.
"Is something the matter?" Haru asked, his eyes carrying a hint of worried emotions.
"I don't know, Haru. I always liked the rain...but I feel uneasy. You obviously know the tales." Momiji mumbled, staring up at the dreary sky.
Haru sighed, "Everyone does. They say that Akito dwells in the dreariness of rain and darkness, forevermore sulking and planning his revenge against the Snow Kingdom for defeating him in battle. He always attacks under the cloak of rain and thunder."
Princess Tohru smiled happily, turned to the navy-uniformed array of soldiers, and shouted, "It's raining! It's raining! Isn't it wonderful? Go home and enjoy the rain with your family!"
The General smiled at Tohru, she was such an innocent soul, always asking for the comfort of others. The rain had soaked her beautiful yellow dress, her brown hair in wet tangles, and her immaculate make-up melted away—but she still carried a stunning smile.
The General asked over the pouring rain, "Are you sure, Princess? Yuki would certainly skew our heads and drown us like runts, and much more, if you were to be harmed in any way!"
Tohru with a twinkle in her eye replied, "General, fear not! I am sure I can handle myself in a town's market! Please, I beg of you! Leave and spend a nice day with friends and family! If you don't, I'll tell Yuki you weren't doing your job!"
The General chuckled and exclaimed, "Men, you all heard Princess Tohru's orders! We are under loyal pledge to follow all instructions! Everyone—pack up and go home!"
The tired men cheered and whistled as they left the town's square. Only two steeds and their owners stayed behind with Princess Tohru.
"Princess...I do not think this was a well-planned decision." Haru said calmly.
"I think it was a swell idea!" Momiji said immediately, nudging Haru in the ribs. Haru rubbed his side, as he sent Momiji a disgruntled face.
"I just wanted everyone to be happy." Tohru replied, "I hate it when others have to be burdened because of me."
"Needless to say, you have made many people happy today." Momiji remarked, his brown eyes sparkling in delight.
"Thank you, Momiji." Tohru said good-naturedly. She turned to Haru and asked, "Haru, don't you want to go home and spend the day with friendly folks?"
"I have none." Haru replied emotionlessly. "For in my heart, the country is my love. Nothing else can take that love away."
With glistening eyes Tohru remarked, "You say the greatest things, Hatsuharu! That was very noble and knightly!"
Momiji laughed and murmured, "He only says cool things to impress people. He has a girlfriend and parents that absolutely adore him."
"Shut up, Momiji!" Haru grumbled, his flame totally snuffed out.
The drizzle did not cease and the three stood there in comfortable silence. Tohru glanced at the town square's clock and cried, "Oh my goodness, look at the time! It's already two'o'clock and I've only bought Shigure's gift! I better be off now!" She politely bowed to the two young boys and hurriedly ran off to buy the rest of the presents.
"She's so kind. I wonder if dear Yuki will let her return to her home." Haru asked aloud, to no one in particular.
"I hope she stays here. Everything seems brighter with her around." Momiji said, watching his chestnut mare chew on some wet grass.
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"Finally—I thought she'd never leave." A young man with orange hair grumbled, clutching his moss green cloak around him tighter. As if nothing else could get worse, rain had begun to fall and the warm air had chilled considerably.He was perched in a tall maple tree, his frame concealed by the branches and leaves. His orange hair stuck out in weird angles underneath his hood, but his fiery red orbs still held such unspoken rage and secrets.
The object of his current mission was now running towards a store and away from the two young men dressed in page clothing. One with bright yellow hair and the other with black and white.
The orangetop had nonchalantly labeled them "Perky Bunny" and "Stupid Cow." For some reason, those nicknames seemed to immediately come to mind.
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His mission: grab the girl named Tohru without suspicion.
Why: Because if he didn't, he would have to pay the consequences with his life...
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Thanks for reading! Now...don't you wanna push that pretty purple button below? (hint, hint )