Wow! I can't believe I got all these reviews! Thank you so much! Here's chapter number two.
The Frog Swordsman
Part Two
By Maria Cline
Kaoru danced along the flower fields with the petals tickling her bare feet and the birds singing sweetly in the air. "Wow, it's so beautiful." The woman sighed as she watched rainbows formed in the sky.
Out of nowhere, a frog landed on her head. "Huh?" Frogs rained from the sky and Kaoru screamed. "Flying frogs!" Ribbits echoed throughout the landscape and she ran as far as she could.
"Whoa!" The woman sat up in her bed and checked. "It was a dream." She glanced over at the pillow to see Kenshin croaking loudly in his sleep. "Kenshin! Wake up!" She urged as she shook him.
"Oro!" The frog yawned as looked up at her. "Kaoru-dono?"
"Did you have some nightmare?" Kaoru asked as she picked up the frog and petted it.
"Not really. Just some bad memories, that is all."
"Oh, you were… ribbiting back then. Can you talk in your sleep?"
"No, I can only talk when someone talks to me. If you didn't say anything, I cannot say anything back." Kenshin explained sadly, "Do not worry, I'm used to it."
"Well, I'll talk to you every time." Kaoru said firmly, "It's time for breakfast."
Things were still uncomfortable as Kaoru sat at the table with Kenshin on his own pillow eating some bacon and sausage with his hands.
"I thought you're more into flies." Yahiko said as he shoveled food into his mouth.
"Oh no, I like all types of meat but I thought that you and your family might not like seeing me eat bugs on the table." Kenshin said as he ate again.
"Well, after breakfast, I can give you a tour of the castle." Kaoru said as she put her hand on Kenshin's head.
"You must complete your lessons first, you're behind." The queen reminded.
"Oh…" Kaoru pouted as she put her hands to her face.
"Do not worry, Kaoru-dono, I can keep you company."
The queen winced. "With all due respect, Kenshin, the tutors don't allow any creatures in the study sessions."
"You mean… nothing disgusting like frogs?" Kenshin looked down sadly.
"We don't want our children to be distracted by anything." The king amended quickly. "Yahiko, you take care of Kenshin."
The boy grinned as he rubbed his hands. "All right!"
"Daddy!!!" Kaoru screamed, "You can't leave Kenshin to Yahiko! He'll die! Like that time that Yahiko took care of that cat and that cat run off with your boots? Or when he was taking care of that pony and Yahiko fed him a poison apple given to him by that mysterious old lady? Or that time that neighboring kingdom leave that pet Phoenix for us to take care of and it died thanks to Yahiko?"
"I was trying to give it a bath." Yahiko muttered.
Kenshin's eyes bulged larger and he said, "Yahiko killed the immortal Phoenix?"
"I won't do anything to hurt him. He's just a frog. Geesh."
"We can trust the boy with the frog for only a few hours." The king said, "He should be fine."
"Oro?" Kenshin gulped.
"Fine." Kaoru stood up and clouds of anger loomed over her. "But, I swear if Kenshin's hurt in any way, you would rather fight the Battousai than face me!"
"Ba-battousai?" Kenshin repeated.
"Legendary assassin demon, deadliest in the world. Nothing to worry about. He's not real." Yahiko waved away.
"Don't be too sure." Megumi said as she smirked. "The Hitokiri Battousai is a demon that comes at night and eats naughty children's hearts. It's a miracle that he didn't come here yet."
"I'm not five any more! Everyone knows the Battousai doesn't exist." Yahiko rolled his eyes.
The king shook his head. "Stop talking this nonsense about demon assassins, children. We have a busy day today. Megumi-chan, we have those princes to meet today."
"Again?" Megumi sighed, "Being beautiful and popular is such a curse."
"But you wouldn't give it up for the world." Kaoru muttered as she rolled her eyes.
"Exactly!"
"Let's work on our lessons now." The queen spoke up.
Kenshin looked around nervously as he was carried to the yard by Yahiko's strong hands. He was no stranger to what boys do to frogs. Many times at the lake, little boys would catch frogs and only a few would return. The few that returned were shaken and were never the same. Now, he will have to endure this boy.
Yahiko pulled the frog up and whispered, "Don't you dare say a word. I don't want the others to know that I'm using a magic frog."
Kenshin nodded. He didn't want anyone else to know about the 'talking frog'. It would only trouble his new friend.
"Hey! I got a fresh one!" Yahiko yelled as he held up the frog.
"All right!" Yutaro, a visiting prince said as he came up with his own frog. The other boys gathered with frogs in their hands. Kenshin couldn't help but smile mentally. Despite their royal blood, these boys still love to do what normal boys do. Kenshin glanced at the other boys who were bringing in frogs. The other frogs were just gazing around cluelessly about what was going to happen.
"I got my frog." A little girl said as she toddled up holding a large bullfrog in her hands.
"We'll beat that frog yet, Ayame-chan." Yahiko vowed.
"But he's the best." Ayame said as she hugged the frog to her face.
Kenshin was placed down and looked at the new frog. Unlike the others, he had a calm air about him. He was studying him with too intelligent eyes.
"Now, let's go!" Yutaro said as he got out a small race track. The kids put the frogs at the race track. Kenshin glanced at the intelligent frog who was looking at the finish line.
"Ready… Set… go!" Yahiko ordered as he slammed his hand behind Kenshin. The frog hopped as fast as he could down the line. The other frogs were going around aimlessly with the kids trying to keep them going. The only other frog who was going in a straight line was the intelligent frog.
"Go, Aoshi-sama!" Ayame cheered.
"Come on, Kenshin!" Yahiko said as his fists clenched.
Kenshin focused all of his strength in his back legs and leapt as far as he could over the finish line. Aoshi finished just behind him.
"Yes!" Yahiko sighed in relief. "You did it, Kenshin."
"Awww… he lost." Ayame pouted.
Aoshi hopped toward Kenshin and stared at him. "Who are you?" He asked.
The boys stared at the mysterious frog and Yutaro glanced at Ayame. "Did he just talk?"
"Uh huh but he's always so quiet before." Ayame said as she nodded.
Aoshi ignored the comments and demanded, "You didn't answer my question. Who are you? Really."
"Kenshin." Kenshin replied as he bowed his head. "It's nice to meet a frog like myself. It was a good race."
The boys glared at Yahiko who was glaring down at Kenshin. "Your frog can talk too?! That's cheating!" Yutaro screamed.
"Oh please. There's no rules against talking frogs." Yahiko crossed his arms. "He's not even enchanted. Megumi kissed him last night and nothing happened."
"Aoshi's like that. I kissed him every night but he never changed." Ayame said as she nodded.
Aoshi and Kenshin stared at each other. "You are not like other frogs. Fight me." Aoshi said as he went into fighting position.
"I do not wish to fight." Kenshin said firmly.
"I'm not giving you a choice!" Aoshi leapt high into the air and Kenshin dodged the frog.
"This is getting weird." Yahiko muttered as the two frogs fought.
Kenshin took deep breaths as Aoshi attacked him again. The frog jumped up and flipped over. He landed next to Aoshi and headbutted him. The other frog fell over in pain. "You… defeated me?" The frog exclaimed and smoke surrounded him. Out of the smoke, a tall man with dark hair and blue eyes in ninja garb with a white trenchcoat appeared. Aoshi looked down at himself. "I'm… human again."
"Oro?!" Kenshin yelped in surprise as he hopped back to avoid getting stepped on.
"Excuse me, were you an enchanted prince?" Yahiko asked as he looked up.
"Not quite, I'm Prince Aoshi, a ninja from the Kingdom of Darkness." Aoshi introduced, "I was stuck as a frog until another frog defeated me in combat. Long story."
"How did you get stuck as a frog?" Kenshin asked curiously.
Aoshi picked up the frog and held him in his hand. "I don't want to talk about it. However, you did defeat me fairly and I owe you. Were you a ninja like myself? I can smell blood on you."
"I… was no ninja or prince." Kenshin said as he looked down.
"I see." Aoshi handed the frog to Yahiko. "Perhaps one day, we will fight again." He bowed, walked away, and vanished into the shadows.
"Bye, Aoshi-sama!" Ayame waved.
Yahiko stared down at Kenshin who looked confused. "You are one weird frog."
Kenshin sighed as he was sitting in the fountain absorbing all the fresh water through his skin. Yahiko left him alone after the strange 'Frog Ninja Prince' incident was over. At least the kid didn't hurt him in any way. He glanced up at the servants who were looking at him in disgust. He couldn't blame them, to them he was a frog, a pest in everyone's eyes.
"Kenshin?"
Kenshin looked up to see Megumi dressed up in royal clothes with full makeup. "Hai, Megumi-dono."
She took off her gloves and picked him up. "My little brother can be such a brat. Leaving a frog like you all alone. Someone might mistake you for a snack.."
"Do not blame him, Megumi-dono. I… I was fighting another frog and he turned into a ninja prince."
"A… ninja prince?! Not another prince." The princess sighed as she walked toward the garden. "These princes are crowding the place." She gestured to a vast assortment of princes in different clothes sitting around. "I enjoy the attention and all but it gets tiresome after a month or so." Megumi sighed as she sat down with the frog in her lap.
"Why don't you just pick a prince?" Kenshin asked.
"It's not that simple." Megumi patted him gently. "I know that a simple frog like you cannot understand but… I can't get married. I don't know why, maybe one hasn't given me the right gift yet."
"I understand." Kenshin smiled slightly. "You don't want to get married to a man you just met. You want to know the man life first before you marry him. You and Kaoru-dono are not so different."
Megumi's jaw dropped. "You are the wisest frog I had ever met. Are you sure you're not an enchanted prince?"
"I am not a prince."
A wicked look appeared in her eye. "Say, Kenshin, can you help me get rid of some of these princes?"
"Oro?"
Kaoru stretched as she walked out of the room. "I swear, if I have to go through one more lesson in the proper way to curtsey, I'll hurl." She hated these lessons. In her heart, she was a simple person who can't stand the idea of curtseying every day for a hundred times in a row. There is one thing that made today easier, it was the idea of a friendly frog waiting for her. That was when she saw it; a long line of princes. Curiously, she walked down the line to see at the end was Kenshin on a pillow looking peeved. Well, he looked as mad as a frog can get. A prince came up and very slowly picked up the frog. The prince stared at him disgusted and kissed him on the lips. The man and frog paled as the man dropped the frog onto the pillow and went to the side to throw up.
"Next." Megumi said as she waved forward.
The younger princess was furious. She wasn't entirely sure the difference between male frogs and female frogs but she was positive that Kenshin was a male frog. Kaoru marched up past the long line and up to the pillow. "MEGUMI!!! WHAT'S THE MEANING OF THIS?!"
"Just a little way to screen out the unworthy ones." Megumi replied as a pair of fox ears popped out of her head.
"You can't do this to Kenshin." Kaoru scowled as she snatched the frog away.
"He didn't mind, he's just a frog."
Kenshin glared at her the best he could. Kaoru saw it and asked, "Kenshin, are you okay?"
The frog glanced at her and said, "How would you feel if you had been kissed by over twenty princes at once?"
The woman blushed at the idea of being kissed by twenty strangers. "Oh. I'm sorry, Kenshin. Look at the bright side, you've been kissed way more than any other frog in the tri-kingdom area."
The frog sighed softly. "I had been kissed more often today than I had in my life."
"I'm surprised how many guys were willing to kiss you." Megumi said amused.
"Shut up." Kaoru held Kenshin to her chest and walked away. She went into the bathroom and gently started to wash him. "My family is crazy."
"They seem nice, Kaoru-dono. I do not mind it so much."
"Funny, other people would say differently." Kaoru said as she took a washcloth and rinse his back. "How's this?"
"It feels nice." Kenshin sighed in relief as he felt the warm water soak into his skin. "You do not have to wash my back for me. I had been in worse stuff."
The woman just shook her head. "No way. You look so uncomfortable like that. Maybe you should just go back to the pond before something worse happens to you."
"No! I… I like being here." Kenshin confessed, "The other frogs are nice but they are… most of them do not make good conversationalists. I like being around people."
"Even if they treat you like an animal?" Kaoru asked.
Kenshin held out one of his webbed hands and pointed out. "I am an animal."
"Oh."
In the shadows, a tall figure watched the scene. He snuck away and went into the King's chambers.
King Kamiya sighed as he watched his family eating dinner. His eldest is being fought over by every kingdom in the world. It was taking everything he had to make sure no one started a war like that one over Princess Helen so many years ago. Kaoru was being rebellious and now have a frog as a companion. Normally, he would hope the frog was really a handsome prince that had mysteriously vanished but Megumi had already kissed him and nothing happened. Yahiko was his last hope but he was being very immature. He loved them more than anything in the world but he have to take things into his own hands or his kingdom will crumble.
"I have an announcement to make." King Kamiya said as he stood up. "As you know, Megumi-chan here had been fought over by all sorts of suitors." He gestured to the latest batch of roses sent. "And to be honest, I'm getting tired of it. I also didn't like the idea of the princes kissing the frog for a chance at her hand. That is why I'm going to issue a challenge to all suitors and we can finally get this settled. I had my advisor Iago to scour the countryside for a worthy challenge and he just came back. Megumi-chan, you must leave for a while. We had set up a tower for you and it has everything you need."
"The glass one?" Megumi asked.
"No, that one was destroyed by rock throwing vandals. No, we set up a new tower to be guarded by a vicious monster. The first man to defeat that monster will marry Megumi." The king ordered.
"What?! You want me to stay cooped up in some tower with some fire breathing dragon guarding the gate?!" Megumi screamed.
"It's not going to be a dragon; they are on the endangered species list. I don't know what it is but I heard it's an impressive monster."
Megumi sulked as she crossed her arms.
"Yes, and I have other news." The king looked at Yahiko. "Yahiko, you must go and work for this potter until he says it's okay."
"Huh? Pottery?" Yahiko repeated, "I want to learn to fight with a sword!"
"I know but you have to learn about pottery. And Kaoru-chan, you and that frog of yours has caused enough trouble. I hereby exiled you from the kingdom's borders until I am no longer king." King Kamiya said firmly.
"Huh?" Kaoru's jaw dropped.
"We only want to do what is best." The queen supported.
"But, that's not fair! I did nothing wrong! You are going to toss me out just because I like to fight and bring home frogs?!" Kaoru exclaimed in shock. "Okay, fine. If you don't want me, I'll go!" The young princess picked up Kenshin and marched to her room.
"She took that well." Megumi mused as she fingered her food frowning at her own punishment.
Kaoru sighed as she packed up her stuff. She wanted to bring her fine stuff but it won't last long where she was going. Instead, she took her most normal clothes and a couple of fine dresses as well as a pair of all purpose magic shoes. Kenshin watched sadly as Kaoru packed up the last of her stuff. "I am so sorry, Kaoru-dono."
The woman smiled slightly at him and knelt down on the floor. "That's okay. It's not your fault. This sort of thing happens all the time. I… I have to put you back into that lake though. You can't live in the castle now."
"I do not mind." Kenshin said as he hopped over to Kaoru's side and put his hands onto her knee. "You need someone to help you. I… I cannot do much as a frog but I will do everything I can to help you, Kaoru-dono."
Kaoru stared down at the frog. She had never met anyone so tolerant before in her life. Any other person or frog would have just left the second things get messy but not this one. "Oh, Kenshin." The woman sighed as she picked him up and held him to her chest.
"Oro!" Kenshin gulped as he was pressed onto her body.
"You are the best friend anyone can ask for." Kaoru said as she smiled at him.
To Be Continued…