The Princess Bride
By:: OtakuSailorV and Skittlez
Once upon a time in a land that was not that hard to find if you take a right was a simple farm girl on a simple farm out in a simple little province of a vast nation. There was another ruling kingdom far from there, of course, and the two were often in conflict, but there had not been a war for many years.
And with that simple little farm girl on that simple little farm there was a less-than simple boy. And he enjoyed nothing more than telling Kyoyume, the farm-girl, what to do.
She, however, listened to everything he said and obeyed without a second thought, simply saying 'as you wish' each time. She smiled warmly, but never very often despite the widespread happiness of the times. None would have guessed that she was quite content with her life in reality. Everyday the boy, who went by the name of Naraku, gave her tasks to do. And everyday she obeyed and finished them before the sun went down.
The tasks he asked of could be a bit outrageous, but still, she smiled and said ''as you wish'' to every outlandish request. But needless to say, and unknown to Naraku ''as you wish'' really meant ''I love you'' or something along those lines.
Still she went on and on, from sunrise to sunset, for many years, always saying those three simple words and smiling softly.
When Naraku finally found himself in love with the farm-girl, he was forced to leave, but vowed to come back. So he left for a distant land across the sea, but the Dread Pirate Sesshoumaru attacked his ship, and he was presumed dead because the Dread Pirate Sesshoumaru did not take hostages.
When news reached Kyoyume back on the farm, she felt her heart break, and soon went into a deep state of shock. Misery over took her, and she locked herself into the small room she had in Naraku's home. His parents begged her to come out, but she refused. She ate very little and drank even less, so it was evident why the two were so worried for her. When she did finally leave the room, she was thin and her eyes were puffy from crying. Her health improved after she had left the room, of course, but she no longer smiled. Not even a shimmer of happiness ever flickered in her eyes after that.
But things changed, they always do, and 5 years later, news spread over the kingdom of a common girl that was engaged to marry Prince Ichiyasha, the eldest son of the senile king.
She was very popular with the commoners. Not only because she had formerly been one of them, but also because she was kind and gentle. The people adored her, and she did everything she could to help them. But still she never smiled. The people never noticed, and the prince never spoke of it to her if he did notice, but it was blatantly obvious to Kyoyume.
Kyoyume only found joy in riding her horse around the forests by the castle.
One day, while riding she was stopped by three strange men that she had never seen before. She brought her horse to a halt and stared at them suspiciously for a moment. "Who are you? Why are you on these lands?" She questioned them, looking them over carefully. They were watching her with wicked grins, and a knowing look in their eyes that she did not like. Something inside of her screamed that she bolt, and her horse reared slightly, trying to gallop away. She held it in place firmly, waiting for the men to answer her.
Someone who looked to be the leader, he was tall and for the most part a thin man. He wore a wicked grin. "Excuse me, Princess, would there happen to be any villages nearby?" he asked calmly.
Kyoyume fidgeted uncomfortably in her seat and raised an eyebrow at him. "No." She replied without really thinking about what he was getting at.
His smiled twitched slightly. His cronies also smirked slightly. "Then there will be no one to hear you scream."
Kyoyume's eyes widened as the two other men on either side of him jumped forward faster than she could react and pulled on her horses reins. The horse made no struggle, but Kyoyume leaned away from them, attempting to get away, though it was futile. "Get off!" She screeched at them angrily, tearing at them and kicking wildly. For one who bore such a calm exterior, she had a fiery temper.
The shorter, stockier of the two grabbed her collar, hitting a pressure point she was rendered unconscious.
When she came to, her head was swimming, and all her limbs felt like dead weight. Groaning, she lifted her eyelids only to find that the world was swimming too. It wasn't just in her head it was outside too! She made another protesting groan and tried to sit up, only to find that harsh ropes had bound her hands very tightly. She grimaced at them; the world started to come back into focus steadily.
She sat up and studied her captors, there was a tall lanky one, she suspected that this was a female, with long hair pulled into a twist and lips painted crimson. "Are you sure no one is following us?" the tall man asked his boss.
"Of course no one is following us." The leader replied in a testy tone. He had obviously been asked the question for quite some time. He had a hard, mean face, and a bandana covered the part of his head above the eyebrows. Kyoyume could see that he was shaved bald though. He looked strong enough, but still he was making the other two do all the work. She wondered if they knew she was even awake yet.
The smaller one carried a huge sword over his shoulder and looked to be even stronger than the leader. "Why do you say that anyway, Jakotsu?" he asked.
Jakotsu turned, and Kyoyume was horrified to find that what she had presumed was a girl was actually a guy as well. "Well, you see out there?" Jakotsu pointed over the rim of the ship at something that Kyoyume could not see. "That guy with the little boat with the white sail ahs been following us for some time now." He said matter-of-factly.
"Inconceivable." The leader muttered.
While they were all distracted, Kyoyume looked around for something to cut her bonds on. Finding that the man Jakotsu had laid his sword down, she easily cut her bonds on it's sharp edge and jumped over the other side of the boat, cutting through the water, though she had to carry the weight of the silly dress she wore. It was lightweight when it was dry, but dresses were not meant to be drowned in that much water, she was sure she would sink thanks to the added weight.
"What?! Jump in and get her!" The leader shouted in shock.
Kyoyume tried to swim harder, but to no avail she was still moving at a sluggish pace. The man named Jakotsu blinked down at the dark water uneasily. "I can't swim." He lied. The leader looked sharply to the man with the large broadsword. He shrugged, for he truly could not swim. "I only dog-paddle." He said with an uneasy grin.
"Oh well, Princess, the shrieking eels will get you." The leader gloated.
She had stopped in her desperate swim for a moment to rest, and glared up at him defiantly. "Shrieking eels?" She questioned bitterly, not quite believing him. She watched the boat steadily; ready to start swimming again if it looked like they were coming toward her. She couldn't out-swim a boat, but she could try.
He pointed into the black abyss of the water to a faint shrieking sound, as it steadily got louder. "The Shrieking Eels, they get louder as they get closer to a kill."
Her heart picked up it's pace, skipping a beat in its fear of the unknown. Something skimmed by her in the water, buffeting her; an ear-piercing shriek filled her mind and echoed through her body. The fear continued to grow, but she was not about to go back to that ship and beg to be saved. She would much rather die than admit defeat.
Suddenly the back of her dress was pulled as someone lifted her out of the cold waters and into the ship.
Kyoyume turned her eyes sideways to see that the un-named man with the huge sword had been the one to lift her out. She didn't give him a thankful look, just straight out glared at him. Below in the waters, large spiny sails and long slimy bodies writhed, searching for their escaped prey.
"Good work Bankotsu. Are there rocks up ahead?" The leader asked, searching the dark horizon.
"If there are, we'll all be dead!" Bankotsu replied.
Kyoyume made a face at his cheery tone. "Well find out!" The leader ordered angrily, going to get more rope. Kyoyume frowned at him. Just great, he was going to bind her hands again.
Jakotsu and Bankotsu spoke in rhymes for a few more minutes. "NO MORE RHYMING! I MEAN IT!" The leader, who still lacked a name, screamed after the cliffs came into view.
Jakotsu frowned at his leader while Bankotsu just snickered. "Man, you sure are a sourpuss, as usual, Renkotsu." He grumbled openly. Kyoyume was preoccupied with glaring at her recently re-bound hands.
"He is gaining on us. I wonder if he is using the same wind we are?" Jakotsu pondered, staring at the ship behind them.
Renkotsu looked about to cuff the shorter man on the head for saying such a stupid thing, but thought better of it and went to grab onto a thick rope that hung from the side of the cliff. "Alright, up." He ordered to his men and motioning to bring the Princess as well. Kyoyume dragged her feet, but it made no difference, they were stronger than she was.
They got to the top of the cliff and Jakotsu stared down. "He is climbing the rope."
"Well, cut it. Use your head." Renkotsu ordered impatiently.
Jakotsu took out his sword and cut the rope. Renkotsu looked down. "He didn't fall?! Inconceivable..." He muttered sighing.
"You keep saying that, I do not think it means what you think it means." Bankotsu advised.
Jakotsu let out a little gasp of surprise. "He's climbing up the cliff!"
Renkotsu looked around. "You." He acknowledged Jakotsu. "Stay, make sure he dies, you," he turned to Bankotsu. "Come with me."
Bankotsu looked to Jakotsu and shrugged before taking off after Renkotsu who was already pushing the Princess along. Kyoyume glanced briefly over her shoulder, but was given a hard shove and kicked back at her captor viciously.
Jakotsu peered over the cliff at the man; a strange white pelt hid him. "Hello there." He called.
The man's head came up, though it was not revealed. Instead, the empty black eye sockets of a blue-faced baboon leered eerily at him. "Hello." Greeted the unnamed pursuer before trying to scale the rock wall again.
"How might you be doing today?" Jakotsu asked cheerily.
"Fine." The man's voice sounded strained.
"Might you need some help?"
"That would be nice."
"But the shame is I will kill you when you get to the top."
"Yes, that would be a problem." The hooded figure said, sounding like he was irritated.
"But, if you'd like, I could throw you the rope."
The man continued his ascent. "I think I can manage."
"I will not kill you until you get to the top, so you must hurry up. Are you sure you would not like the rope?" Jakotsu asked curiously.
He stopped his ascent immediately. "Look, if you really want me up there faster could you please shut up? This requires some amount of concentration." He informed the impatient sword man above.
"You do not have to be so rude. I was simply trying to help."
"Yes, well, just give me a minute, will you?" He sighed in exasperation.
Jakotsu sat down on a large rock, staring into space emptily.
After a moment, the hooded figure had finally climbed to the top, the perfect white pelt swirling around him. Jakotsu smiled happily when he saw that the man had finally made it. "I was afraid you had fallen."
"Shut up." The man growled.
Jakotsu pouted for a moment, but was not about to let his good humor be shaken. "Shall we start then?" He asked, drawing his rather large sword, though not as large as Bankotsu's.
Jakotsu then looked as if he remembered something. "Do you happen to have small white dog-ears on the top of your head?" He asked.
Behind his mask, the man raised an eyebrow. "Of course not." At this, he threw back his hood and showed that his hair was wavy and long and that no such ears existed.
"Ah, I did not mean to pry." Jakotsu answered. "Shall we begin?"
Dropping his white pelt, he pulled out a thin, long katana menacingly. "Yes." He said, though he still was slightly confused about the dog-ears question.
Jakotsu saw the confusion in his pelted-opponents eyes. "My father was killed by dog-eared man."
"Ah, I am sorry." He replied. Jakotsu shrugged as if to say 'no big deal' and drew up his sword with a grin.
"I should warn you I am very good with a blade." He advised the wavy-haired man who held the katana.
"Your sword itself seems unique."
"It is." Jakotsu replied proudly. "There are- well, you'll see."
"I suppose I will. We shall begin?"
He raised his arms uselessly, the katana swept the dirt. "I am merely waiting on you." He said, but started himself anyway. Darting forward, he cut t his adversaries torso.
Jakotsu dodged, he was very fast. "You are very quick, but, you might want to look behind you."
Glancing behind him, the unnamed opponent started at the sight of a connected series of swords weaving around behind him. "I see." He said thoughtfully, and dodged as the tip of the sword flashed toward him. It burrowed deep into the ground where he had been, leaving him only to imagine what it would have done to flesh. Striking again, he dodged behind Jakotsu and slashed at his exposed back.
Jakotsu yelped and jerked his wrist, the blades twisted around Naraku. "Jakotsutou. The most unbeatable sword you will ever die fighting."
Naraku's eyes widened a touch as he realized he was trapped. "Most interesting. A very nice sword indeed." He complimented.
"Yes, but I would hate to kill you, you seem talented with a blade."
"That is ok, you're not going to kill me." Naraku waved his hand carelessly.
"That's what you can think, Shirozaru." Jakotsu purred dangerously, flicking his wrist and closing the blades around Naraku.
Naraku made a pained face, glaring at the blades thoughtfully. "Clever." He conceded, trying to buy himself some time as he figured out a way to work loose.
Jakotsu retracted his blades. "I'll make you a deal." He said smoothly.
His opponent raised one slender eyebrow at him questioningly. "Do tell." He said, intrigued though at the same time suspicious. The sword man had a strange tone to his words.
"I'll let you leave with your life. If you tell me who you are."
Naraku smirked at him, seeing what this was all about now. "Why do you wish to know my identity so much?" He questioned.
"You are brilliant, please, I must know."
Rolling his blood red eyes, he continued to smirk at his opponent. "Naraku." He informed him shortly.
"That tells me nothing, but I thank you for your time." Jakotsu bowed slightly.
Naraku bowed as well and returned his sword to its sheath, still suspicious of the girl-like man before him. "You are good with a blade." He informed Jakotsu.
"I have spent all of my life pursuing it, hoping to find my father's murderer, you see." Jakotsu replied. "What is it that has you following us? Please, I must know."
Something flickered in the red eyes, but he did not reply immediately. Pensive, the curly haired man looked toward the road. "I can't stay to answer your questions." He said, turning to go. "And the reason I am following you - let's say I have unfinished business with someone."
"Then be on your way my friend! And I hope we have the distinct pleasure of meeting again." Jakotsu cried.
Without even looking back, Naraku took his white pelt and disguised himself again, hurriedly taking to the road after Renkotsu and Bankotsu.
Renkotsu looked back to the road. "He's following. Your turn, I'll go on ahead, meet me after he is dead." Renkotsu demanded the shorter man.
Kyoyume struggled against Renkotsu's tight hold. "When the prince catches you, and he will, you will suffer." She threatened in a cat-like hiss of anger. She didn't care if the prince was the one to rescue her or not, but a threat was a threat, and it was the only one that she found would be the most effective. Bankotsu went to wait by some stones for the white-pelted pursuer without a word.
"Hello!" Bankotsu greeted cheerfully as the pelted man came into view.
He did not slow to acknowledge the other man, nor did his red gaze flicker toward him from under the hood.
Bankotsu put the giant sword in front of the man to slow his progress. "According to Renkotsu I am to kill you."
Naraku stopped instantly, staring at the large weapon that cleaved the ground in front of him. His eyes followed up its length and came to rest on the young warrior who was smiling at him in a pompous sort of way. "Another one? Fine." He said more to himself than to Bankotsu.
"But, I unlike Renkotsu, can see you do not have a large weapon like mine. So we will fight sportsman like. Is that okay with you?" He asked curiously, reminding Naraku of a large child.
Naraku smiled despite the situation and dropped his blade and pelt to the ground and lay them on a rock nicely. He nodded to Bankotsu before doing so. And when he had finished, found that Bankotsu was ready to start already.
"You must be skilled, defeating Jakotsu as I suspect you did." Bankotsu noted.
He wouldn't have called that a defeat, more like a mutual decision to move on. But if that's what the brute wanted to believe, then sure, why not? "He was a tough opponent."
"He is, I know." Bankotsu agreed. "Shall we begin?"
"Whenever you are ready."
"I was ready the moment I saw you, Mr. Monkey-man."
The new title irked him slightly. Why were they all calling him 'monkey man,' was it because of the pelt? Most likely, but they could at least ask for a name! Putting the thought aside for a moment, he engaged in battle first, flying at his opponent swiftly. Dodging in and out, he attempted to confuse the short man.
Bankotsu seemed very experienced in fight; he dodged most of the punches before delivering one of his own. "I admit you are very fast."
Naraku ignored the scraped cheek he had received, focusing everything on battle. Making no reply to Bankotsu, he decided to unleash the only thing that he could think of at the moment. His miasma. A regular fight would take too long, and he needed to catch up to Renkotsu as soon as possible. Jumping upward, over his enemy's head, he let the mist-like poison engulf the area where he had been and all the surrounding areas as well.
Bankotsu held his breath, but fainted. Naraku noted he was still alive and probably not too hurt. He'd be fine when he woke up, minus a rather large headache.
Gathering his things, Naraku placed his katana back in his belt, and took on his white guise again before darting off in search of Renkotsu and the blue-haired princess.
He found them, sitting around a large stone table. "I knew you'd find me." Renkotsu noted.
Naraku halted, staring at him intensely from underneath his white hood. The princess was blindfolded, and her hands were bound behind her back. She appeared rigid and tense, listening intently to everything they were saying, to every little sound around her. Her lips were pursed angrily, obviously she was not too pleased with the situation. Switching his gaze back to the smirking leader of the three men, Naraku gave him a defiant sneer, though he could not see it.
He did not remove his pelt; secrecy would have to play to his favor. "So, you've found us, and why are you here?" Renkotsu asked, glaring.
Naraku smirked at him and daringly took a step forward. "It must be obvious to you what I am after. I doubt you are that blind." He said in such a way that it sounded like an insult almost.
"Ah, but, how will you achieve your goal. I am not like your last two opponents."
"I would suppose not." Naraku shrugged underneath the pelt, making the ghastly shape of it bend. "As for how I will achieve my goal- why would I tell the person that stands between me and the goal?"
"Well, physically I am probably no match for you seeing as you defeated both of my mercenaries within an hour. But I am smarter." He remarked pompously.
"Indeed." Naraku commented, taking a seat before Renkotsu. "How is that?"
"I, am a master of logic and all things thinking."
Naraku made a curious nose in his throat, showing that he was generally following along with what Renkotsu was saying. Though in truth he didn't believe a word of it. Only a fool shot off his mouth like that. "You should be very challenging then."
"I believe I would be. So it will be a battle of wits then, sir?" he asked, his smirk seemed almost eerie now and he seemed to know Naraku thought he was a liar.
"Of course, if that is what you wish." Naraku replied, smirking as well from behind his hood.
"Then sit."
"I am sitting."
Renkotsu narrowed his eyes. "Okay, since this is your death-wish, you get to...make the game, you could say."
Reaching inside of his robes, Naraku brought out a wooden vial and pulled the cork from the top. Handing it to Renkotsu, who took it cautiously, he explained the contents. "This is a deadly poison, do not taste. Do you smell anything?" He inquired as he saw Renkotsu bring it to his nose thoughtfully.
"Nothing." Renkotsu said handing the vile back to Naraku.
"Exactly." Naraku said, as if that proved everything. "It is a rare poison that has no antidote and will kill anyone who takes it internally."
"Clever."
"Indeed. May I challenge you to a one-match duel then, so that this will go quicker?"
"I take the princess when you're dead." Naraku said simply, producing a pair of cups and a flagon with drink in it. Taking them both in his hand, he turned sot hat Renkotsu could not see and poured the poison in. Returning them to the large stone-table, he switched them around before finally nodding. "Choose."
"How simple." Renkotsu nodded. He thought for a moment. "If you are as smart as I would believe you are, you would put the poison in my cup? But, then again, you would know that if you are indeed that smart so, I cannot choose the wine in front of YOU." He concluded.
"Ah." Naraku said with a confident grin tugging on his lips behind the mask.
"But seeing as you would know I would deduce that and only a great fool would put the poison that close to himself, so I cannot choose the wine in front of ME." He added.
"Then what will you choose?"
"Ah! Look over there!" He shouted suddenly, causing Naraku to turn for a moment and Renkotsu promptly switched the drinks, when Naraku turned back he smirked. "I've made my choice, let us drink."
Taking his cup, Naraku sipped his, savoring the taste for a moment before swallowing. Setting his cup back down, he raised an eyebrow out of instinct as Renkotsu burst out laughing at him. "What is it that you find so amusing?" Naraku questioned.
Renkotsu took a swallow from his cup as well. "You will see."
Naraku turned his head slightly, hiding a grin inside of the mask.
Renkotsu laughed again. "You are a royal fool!"
"And why do you say that?"
"You forgot the most important rule of combat, well, the most important being never get involved in a land war in Asia but only slightly less well known, never turn your back on a Sicilian when DEATH is on the line!" He informed him. "I switched our cups."
Naraku remained silent, letting his outburst continue. He was laughing quite hysterically now, and his face had turned red with the strain.
He calmed down a little, catching his breath. "Again, I say, you are a royal fool."
Naraku got to his feet slowly, seeing as there was some time left before the poison would take its effect completely. "Maybe I am. But are even more so."
"But you drank the poison."
Naraku grinned evilly, and the empty eye sockets of the monkey mask seemed to light up with malice at his words. "Indeed?" He said as Renkotsu toppled to one side, looking as if he were in shock.
Kyoyume's ear twitched. "And all this time your glass was the poisoned one." she noted breathlessly.
Shaking his head, Naraku stepped over and undid her bound hands. Then went and took off her blind fold, all the while explaining himself. "Both cups were poisoned, there was no trick."
"Who are you?" she demanded.
"Someone who should not be trifled with." He informed her, taking her hand and bringing her to her feet. Kyoyume stared at him for the longest time, as if she were trying to remember something.
He pulled her along and they came to a steep slope. Over the horizon they could see a group of horse-backed men. "It seems your prince has come for you."
Kyoyume flushed in what appeared as anxiety for a brief moment. "Of course." She said in a strained tone, though she was carrying herself proudly and assuredly.
He rolled his eyes under the mask.
Kyoyume looked to the masked stranger thoughtfully for a moment before her features hardened. "Thank you for your help."
"I was not helping you." He lied smoothly.
"Thank you all the same." Kyoyume said, thinking she had met this man before. His voice sounded familiar. Her large black ears twitched thoughtfully as the sound of horses drew closer.
Naraku chuckled behind his mask. "It is not of my concern, as of this moment you are at the hands of your love."
"He is not my love." Kyoyume replied distantly.
"He is not?"
"No. Never." She said. The horsemen were drawing closer, but still just tiny outlines on the horizon. There was hardly a chance the two standing figures had been spotted yet. A brilliant banner flew in their ranks, emblazoned with the symbol of the prince's house.
"Ah, but then what happened to your love?"
Kyoyume turned her eyes away. "He is dead."
"Oh, is he now? But how long did you wait to get engaged? A day? A week in respect for the dead? Well?" He asked, something like a temper rising.
Kyoyume turned on him angrily, eyes narrowed, fur on her ears bristling in her anger. Something like a cat's hiss accompanied her words. "You know nothing! My heart died that day!" She informed him loudly.
He snorted and she pushed him down the hill. "You can DIE for all I care!"
As he tumbled, the white pelt suddenly flew from around him, catching on the rocks and twigs in the earth and tearing away. Kyoyume gasped as she recognized whom it was she had pushed. Eyes widening, she started to run down after him, but tripped on the steep slope and tumbled down after him. A series of harsh slams against the ground followed. The world spun in front of her eyes, making her sick and dizzy.
Finally the fall came to an abrupt end and they ended up laying side-by-side at the foot of the hill.
"Ow." Kyoyume groaned, holding a hand to her head. Her ears were ringing loudly and if the man next to her had said anything, she knew not. Sitting up, she covered her ears with her hands, trying to force the noise out of her skull. "Ugh. . ."
"Well, hello."
Kyoyume turned toward the voice, though the swift movement made her eyes cross, and she nearly toppled back onto her side with a sudden wave of nausea. "Eh?"
"I see you found me out." Naraku noted smirking.
Blinking at him, she finally regained the ability to see properly and immediately clung to him, throwing her arms around his neck, tears filling her eyes. "They told me you had died!"
"Well, for some reason, I was spared."
Kyoyume whimpered, happiness spreading through her every fiber as she clutched him tighter. Tears flowed from her eyes unhindered, running down her cheeks to dampen his shoulder.
Naraku hugged her back, as the stomping of horses got louder.
Comforted, Kyoyume sat back, wiping at the remnants of the tears from her cheeks. "S-sorry." She said, smiling at him brightly. "I was just so glad. . ."
"Its okay." Naraku told her. "Lets go, it is not of the best interest to be caught by your prince."
Kyoyume let him help her to her feet. She seemed to be fuming at the term 'your prince.' "He's not 'my prince.'"
"You are marrying him are you not?" he asked distantly.
Kyoyume made a face. "I didn't have much of a choice in the first place." She grumbled, glaring at the ground as they arrived at a thick hem of trees.
"Yes." He replied. "Shall we go in? It IS the Fire Swamp. Are you afraid?" he teased her.
Kyoyume looked at him defiantly. "Of course not!" She almost hissed, aware that he was trying to get under her skin.
They walked into the tree-filled area.
Behind them, the tramp of horses died away. Kyoyume held tightly to Naraku's arm, ears twitching in every direction as she glanced suspiciously around. The place had a strange feel and smell to it. Almost as if the trees themselves, and the land underneath their feet was filled with hate and hostility.
Ichiyasha and his men came to the foot of the hill, following tracks. "It seems they went here, into the fire swamp."
The prince scowled at the dark trees that loomed below, almost as if inviting him to come closer, to dare and tramp on the land within. He sniffed arrogantly, and turned his horse away. "We'll meet them on the other side." He informed his troops.
End Chapter