The Princess Bride
By: Skittlez and OtakuSailorV
Chapter Two
Kyoyume was still clinging to his arm, alert for any movement or sound. Twigs snapped under their feet noisily and made her even more nervous than she already was. Naraku strode confidently, and Kyoyume kept up the pace, trying to keep the same attitude as well, though the forest grew denser and denser and even more sinister and dark.
"It is not as bad as people perceive it." Naraku noted, a small popping noise in the background going off, but it was dismissed as imagination on both their parts.
Kyoyume nodded in agreement. She had heard stories about the forest, but all those made it appear far more dark and gloomy than it was in actuality. It indeed had an air about it, as if it wanted to swallow you up, but she thought it must just be childish imagination that kept this perception in tact. "Do you think the R.O.U.S's are real as well?" She questioned as a spurt of flame suddenly flared up before their eyes.
"Rodents of Unusual Size? No of course not."
An inward sigh of relief spread through her body and some of her uneasiness dissipated. What was she worried about anyway? She had Naraku with her, and she knew him to be far more challenging then anyone else she had known. If there were any real danger, he would overcome it immediately. Another spurt of flame shot out of the ground to their left, and then to their right. "What about the quicksand?" She thought out loud.
"I think you've found it." Naraku informed her, grabbing her arm quickly and giving her a sharp tug.
Kyoyume gasped as she felt herself being pulled downward and bounded forward out of instinct. She was freed immediately, and sighed with relief, smiling in embarrassment. "So I did."
"Still, we have found all the dangers of the Fire Swamp and lived. No worries." Naraku told her smiling slightly.
"Not quite all of them." Kyoyume pointed out, nodding toward a large, bulky, short-haired creature that was bumbling toward them. It looked like a large rat, a thick worm-like tail dragging in the dirt behind it. Kyoyume shuddered at the sight of such a grotesque monster, and flexed her claws experimentally.
"I told you the R.O.U.S existed." She added as the thing waddled around.
Naraku frowned, giving her one of his displeased looks before unsheathing his katana. It didn't appear to have noticed them yet, and there was no sense in dirtying his blade on it if it was not going to attack. Slowly, he led Kyoyume around the brute, watching it carefully the entire time.
Suddenly the thing jumped, it was quite ungainly, seeing as it was no more than a giant rat, but it chomped its sharp teeth into Naraku's shoulder.
Naraku hissed, cursing, and his blade-arm stiffened in reaction. Kyoyume gasped and struck out in reflex, catching the thing in the face with her sharp claws. It squealed loudly and released Naraku, dropping to the ground and pawing at the open wounds on its face.
Naraku kicked the thing a distance and they kept walking until they finally came to the exit of the Fire Swamp.
Kyoyume was fussing over his shoulder idly, though he kept shrugging away, insisting that it did not hurt and he didn't need any help. Kyoyume gave him an indignant look and prodded him with one of her claws. "Hold still, damnit." She ordered, trying to wrap a bit of her torn dress fringes around the wound.
"I am fine!" He cried in exasperation.
Kyoyume prodded him with her claws again; the ones she had used against the rodent monster were still covered with blood. "You are not, you're bleeding." She said informed him sternly.
"So what if I'm bleeding? Doesn't mean it hurts!" he argued stubbornly.
"If it's bleeding, it hurts." She had finished wrapping the bandage by now and gave his shoulder a sturdy slap. "There, all done."
"THAT hurt!" he cried.
"Well of course it did." Kyoyume said, almost in a triumphant tone.
"Halt! Who goes!" Someone shouted.
Both of the travelers stiffened, and Kyoyume's ears stood alert suddenly. Turning quickly, they picked up the sound of horses nearby. Not only that, but there were foot soldiers as well, practically surrounding them. Kyoyume narrowed her ears. "Enemies on all sides, horsemen and soldiers." She informed Naraku. She sniffed the air and narrowed her eyes further, her heart skipping a beat in a sudden spurt of fear. "Ichiyasha."
The group of trackers halted in front of the pair. And to Ichiyasha's direct left, Naraku noticed something about the man astride the black horse. "You have dog-ears on top of your head. I know someone who is looking for you."
The silver-haired man's ears twitched as he gave Naraku a quizzical look. "Indeed." He said carelessly.
Ichiyasha slid off his horse and walked over to Kyoyume. "My dear, Princess, how I have missed you!"
Kyoyume watched him uneasily, there was something in his eyes that she did not like at all. "I'm sorry to have worried you." She said carefully, not sure how to address this situation.
He took her arm and led her to his horse. "Kill the extra." He whispered to his dog-eared companion.
Kyoyume looked back at Naraku desperately, having heard his whispered order. Ichiyasha did not seem to understand her ability to hear even the smallest of noises. "Please, do not harm him." She pleaded, frightened for her love. "He saved me from my captors and protected me in the fire swamp." She wanted to go on, but to confront him about the marriage now would probably not be wise. She would speak with him later on the matter.
Ichiyasha smiled, not the most reassuring of smiles though. "Oh, if that is the case, he will not be harmed...who might your savior be?"
'You know very well whom.' Kyoyume thought, agitated. "Naraku." She said, looking to him with sorrowful eyes. She tried to convey a message to him without speaking, but he didn't seem to understand.
"Does this 'Naraku' have a home?"
Kyoyume nodded firmly. She had no idea if Naraku had a home somewhere else, but she knew that the farm was still his home, no matter where he went. "The farm." She said, thinking that Ichiyasha would know which 'farm' she spoke of.
"Ah, that farm, then, Inuyasha, transport this...Naraku to his home, safely."
Kyoyume was relieved, though there was something still that she was apprehensive about. Looking at Naraku, she gave him a small smile, hoping he understood.
Naraku nodded, but he knew he wasn't going to be taken home, as Ichiyasha lifted Kyoyume onto his horse and they rode away.
Kyoyume watched Naraku until she could no longer see him any longer. Then, regretfully, she turned back around and faced forward, looking at the ground passing underneath the horse's hooves in a thoughtful manner. Ichiyasha was holding her tightly, as if he were afraid she would fall off, maybe a little too closely and tightly. She shifted uncomfortably.
They got to the palace again, and he helped her down from the large horse.
Once down from the horse, she gave it a soft, thankful pat and followed after Ichiyasha, though her thoughts were far away. 'Please be ok.'
"Come, my darling."
Kyoyume looked up to see that he was offering her his hand, and took it after a moment's hesitation.
"You are not taking me home, where ARE you taking me?" Naraku asked Inuyasha calmly.
Inuyasha sneered at him, turning his eyes from his Lord's retreating horse to Naraku. "Somewhere." He informed him as the hilt of a sword crashed into the back of Naraku's head.
Naraku's eyes opened blearily, he was in an underground high-ceiling room. A pale boy with long purple-silver hair was leaning over him, cleaning the wound on Naraku's shoulder.
He groaned loudly, his head swimming. The back of his head hurt, like a horse's hoof had struck him. "Where am I?" He managed to get out an intelligent sentence.
"The Pit of Despair." The pale man hissed. "Don't even try and-" he cleared his throat. "Don't bother to try and escape."
Naraku narrowed his eyes on him, frowning. A memory floated back to him, of Kyoyume, with Ichiyasha sitting behind her on the horse, and he banished the idea of not trying to escape. "Why not?" He demanded, though his tone was not as forceful as he would have liked.
The man laughed. "Because only I, Inuyasha and Ichiyasha know the way in or out."
"Is that so?" He asked thoughtfully, eyeing the large pieces of machinery and other strange knick-knacks lying about.
"Well duh."
Naraku's red eyes, shone at him brilliantly in defiance for a moment before it died. "And who are you?" He demanded.
"I'm Hakudoushi."
"Hm." Naraku mumbled to himself, still glowering.
"What are you glaring at?" Hakudoushi asked him.
Naraku raised an eyebrow at him for a moment before explaining in a mildly sarcastic tone. "As if it were not plainly obvious, it looks as if I am a prison here while someone rather important may be in trouble." He informed the smaller, white haired boy.
Hakudoushi looked up. "The princess then?"
Naraku searched the ceiling, as if trying to find a means for escape. "Yes."
"There is no way to escape here. You come here and you die."
"I'm not going to die here." Naraku said simply.
"How do you know that?"
"I can't die here, there are too many things I still have to do."
Hakudoushi's raised an eyebrow, "I have things to do also, the Count I suppose will take care of you now." He told him, leaving the pit.
Naraku watched as the silver haired man from before suddenly appeared, smirking. "Hello." Naraku greeted him, narrowing his eyes again.
"Empty the Forest! Empty it!" Someone called from horseback.
"Sir!" A burly man called, running up to the officer in charge. "There's a man causing a bit of trouble, no one can disarm him."
He rode over to the indicated area. "This man is causing a problem?" he asked in amazement.
The said man looked like he was in a drunken stupor, his sword lying beside his limp body. His head leaned down and touched his breast, he looked to be asleep. "Yes, sir. . ." The officer said, feeling embarrassed.
Someone ran up, knocking the two men out with the hilt of his sword he shook the sleeping man. "Jakotsu, Jakotsu!"
"What? Who's there?" Jakotsu blinked red-rimmed eyes and lashed out with his sword at the person who was shaking him.
Bankotsu dodged. "Jakotsu, its me, wake up!"
"Huh? Is that you Bankotsu?" He asked, stumbling to his feet.
The braided man nodded. "It is, Renkotsu is dead!" he exclaimed. "And the dog-eared man has been discovered."
"Renkotsu?" Jakotsu croaked. "Never liked him anyway. . ." He suddenly stopped, then looked up at Bankotsu with wide eyes. "T-the dog eared man!" He stammered.
He nodded. "He works for the prince, but the gate is heavily guarded. We must find the Monkey man, he can help us!" Bankotsu exclaimed.
"Ah, but how will we find him? He must have run off far away with that princess by now." Jakotsu said, sounding as if he were despairing.
An ear-shattering scream came to their attention in the silence of the forest. "Does that sound like him to you, Jakotsu?" Bankotsu asked.
"I suppose. I did not hear him scream, but it's worth a shot, hm?" He replied, smiling.
He nodded and they rushed to the sound of the scream, only finding a patch of ugly trees. "We'll never find him at this rate..."
Uselessly, Jakotsu walked to several of the trees and pounded on their sides, pressing one ear to the bark, listening for a hollow echo from within.
Finally Bankotsu got annoyed, slamming his tan fist into a knot on the tree, it swung opened. "What are you doing!" A voice exclaimed.
A small, white haired boy with pale, empty eyes was running toward them, looking astonished and angry. "Get away from there!" He called in an outraged tone.
Bankotsu thumped him over the head and ran inside, seeing it empty but a figure on the table they walked over.
"That's him!" Jakotsu cried, distressed as he came in. The two hopped quickly down and went over to investigate the man's still form.
Bankotsu gulped, sadness overtaking his young face. "He's dead..."
End Chapter