Title: Tale of A Story
Author: DnKS - giRLs
Rating: G to PG
Pairing: So many of them…count yourselves
Warning: Major OOCness, trans-gender (some), rambling, plot less, over- romantic (again, blame all those verses), mention them all…
Disclaimers: …(don't want to write 'em)…
(A/N : There you go, sixth chapter, please do enjoy)
Chapter 6 – The Queen
Green was the world and fresh was the earth when Fuji and Ryoma rode together on a single horse that day. It was the very same day when Fuji first time opened his eyes after those long years he had spent in his sleep. At first, Ryoma made objection by the prospect of their leaving at the same day, but the persistency of the other made him unable to refuse.
So they ended up started their journey as soon as possible. Along the way, Fuji's eyes observed their surrounding. Surely said, there had to be many differences after hundreds of years had passed. He was so much taken by his thought until he didn't even speak any single word since the time they took their depart from his sanctuary.
"Your Excellency," Ryoma said suddenly, breaking the silence. "Is there something that bothers you?"
"No, why do you think there is?" Fuji answered.
"You have turned to be so silent, Your Excellency," Ryoma said apologically.
Fuji nodded, "It has been too long. This is my first time seeing the outer world after hundreds of years. Things have changed, yet I have not. Will there be something remains unchanged, I don't know…"
Ryoma took the words to his deepest thought. It was true that hundreds of years surely had done something to the world. There was no such thing like immortality. Even The Lords of both worlds were not immortal, they could also die.
"Are you afraid?" he asked.
"I am," came Fuji's answer. "I am, since I'm nothing more than a pitiful soul. I'm afraid of the world, I'm afraid of myself, I'm afraid of my existence."
"I'm not afraid of you," said Ryoma. His words force a smile to be shaped on Fuji's lips.
"Once, there was one person said the very same thing to me," he said.
"Lord Tezuka?" asked Ryoma and Fuji nodded.
Ryoma didn't say a word anymore. They continued their journey in silence. Sometimes, the passing of wind between the trees brought a sad melody to their ears; it sounded like the voice of the vulnerable lost souls. And that too brought worry to Ryoma, he knew that their path was dangerous and by seeing Fuji's appearance, he could say that the young prince was not in a condition to meet any trouble.
His face turned upwards and saw the sky. They still needed four or five more days to get to his palace in the Seventh Island. He had been riding without rest for the past six days and he didn't think that he would be able to deal with some beast, or worse, assassins.
While they were riding in silence, suddenly Ryoma felt something. He halted his horse abruptly and his sharp eye pierced through the thick forest around them.
"There's something watching us," he said and he saw Fuji nod. It seemed that the other prince had realised about that too. Then, came to their ears the sound of ragging breaths of a beast. The darkness that surrounded them faded a little and with their eyes wide in fear, they saw a very fierce dragon came from behind the bushes.
Ryoma, being a gentleman he was, spontaneously protected Fuji with his arms stretched before him. He drew his sword, ready for battle. However, not even a drop of blood was shed, for suddenly, they saw a man clad in black came within the ethereal light. The man did nothing else than pointed his hand to the dragon, and the beast was suddenly left immobile on the wasted land. No one had to say that the dragon was dead at that time.
The man turned back, facing the two youth who stopped dead on their feet. Ryoma recognized him and knelt before the man.
"I bestow upon you, dear father, my greatest gratitude for having saved our lives," he said. Beside him, Fuji did the very same thing and he was on his knees too.
"Stand on your feet, my dear child, and let me have you in my arms" Ryoma's father said.
The two stood up and stand on the either side of the man. After he had planted a kiss on each of his son's cheeks, Ryoma's father, King Sanada, The Dragon Slayer, smiled to Fuji.
"My soul is blessed when I see your face, Your Excellency, Prince Fuji, The Ocean Star," he said. "My son has done his job. Now I'm sure that you have been wondering what the reason behind this all is."
Fuji bowed ever so gracefully before he answered, "I am, Your Majesty, and great is my expectation on hearing some words of explanation that you could graciously spare for me."
"Then you shall come with us," he said. He took Ryoma's slender body closer to him, held him on his waist, and then he offered his other hand to the other prince.
"Come with us, Your Excellency," he said. Fuji gave him the confused look; nonetheless, he received the invitation. And just a split seconds passed before the wind whirled around them, brought them to the faraway land of the Seventh Island.
They landed on something that looked and felt like alabaster, but it was warm, not cold. Fuji, once he was able to think clearly, raised his head and saw that the king had walked to his throne on which sat the most beautiful woman that he ever seen.
The woman smiled to him, and all fears were disappeared from within his heart. This woman was surely an angel, since no normal human could possibly have that kind of beauty.
"Ryoma, my brave and proud son," she said. Her voice echoed in the large room that they were in. "And you, my darling young prince. Now I know why my brother had his eyes set upon you."
Shocked as he was, Fuji could not help but stare in blank expression. The woman's smile grew even wider and she spread his arms.
"Come here, young prince, and you too, Ryoma. You must greet him and praise him for he is the lover of your mother's brother," she said.
They both, Ryoma and Fuji, walked to the throne where the woman greet them and made them sit between her and his husband, the king. Fuji looked at her and doubted his former hearing that told him this woman had just said she was Tezuka's sister.
"Doubt not my words, young Prince," said the queen as if reading Fuji's thought. "Indeed I am Yukimura, The Goddess of Angels, sister of The Ruler of The Inner World, Lord Tezuka. I have chosen a mere human as my lover, thus deserted my Angelic Power. As you can see now, I live here, together with my husband and son, and I feel no regret."
"Please do not think my silence as a doubt, Your Majesty, instead it shall be my adoration for the destiny you have chosen," Fuji said. "So great is your love until you have dared to take such consequence. But may I ask, if truth be told that indeed you are the sister of the man whom I love so much, would you please satisfy my curiosity, Your Highness, and tell me where is he now? Where is Kunimitsu?"
Yukimura sighed. She touched Fuji's cheek gently before answered.
"My dear Prince, please be tough," she said. "For the man you are searching for has no longer been a part of neither world. Death has taken him and brought him to the realm of darkness."
Fuji was so shocked by the news, too shocked until he could not force any word or even thought to take form in neither his lips nor mind. He could feel all those three pairs of eyes directed at him. He could feel their worries washing over him. He could feel only cold… ever so cold that creeping over his body so bold. Unconquered, undefeated, the coldness overcame him. He did not realize that his face had become so pale if Ryoma did not say the fact.
"Your Excellency, are you all right?" the young Prince asked. "Your face is so pale."
Fuji blankly stared at him then his voice found its way out of nowhere to his lips.
"Yes… I'm sorry, I just… need some time to comprehend this… information. I'm … I'm fine, thank you for your concern over me, Prince Ryoma… but I… I just…"
That was when Yukimura, the Queen, grabbed his shoulders and held him close in her embrace. Fuji felt the warmth enfolding his body, and the Queen's sweet voice penetrated the air.
"It's fine… if you cry," she said. "The best we can do to mourn for someone we love so much over their death is to cry and waste our tears until there is nothing left in us except the memory of he who has departed. Cry, young Prince, you may… cry with all your heart so he can hear you in the land of eternity."
Therefore, he cried. Those tears came down like a stream from each corner of his eyes. Those blue orbs were glistening even brighter because of the tears. The sight was so sad until the Queen herself felt that she could not stand her own tears. Even the King looked away in pain and Ryoma, the young Prince merely sighed in his desperation of having none to help the other in his agony.
Fuji released all his emotions that were hidden so well all the time with that cries. His love and his life had been taken away from him. His father had been dead. Every person whom he had ever known and loved had all left him alone. All but one…
He touched his belt, on which he placed the Holy Sword named Shishido, the one and only item reminded him to his beloved one. The silver sheath was still shining so brightly, untouched by the passing of time. Fuji could still remember the time when his beloved gave him the very sword; it was on the day when he took his departure. Now, hundreds of years after, he again saw him take his departure, this time for eternity…
"So in the end, it's just you and me, oh dear faithful one, Shishido…" he whispered. "Cry with me, Holy Sword until your tears drown you in the river of sadness, which would bring us to the land of happiness. Cry with me, oh you, fate and destiny, dry up my tears and leave me in despair."
Queen Yukimura sighed sadly at the displayed scene before him, but she had something to tell.
"Cry until your tear is dry, young Prince, but after that, I have something for you to do," she said.
Fuji, though still with some tears flowing from his eyes, raised his head to meet the Queen's angelic face.
"I'm here listening, My Queen," he said. Being a Prince he was, he would never abandon his Queen's word, moreover when the Queen was somehow related to him and had gotten his full respect at the first sight awarded to him.
And when he heard the answer, his eyes grew wide with shock.
For what he heard was nothing else but this.
"I want you, Prince Fuji, The Ocean Star, to revive the soul of my brother Kunimitsu, Lord Tezuka, Ruler of The Inner World…."
end chapter 6-
(A/N : end of chapter six… more chapters ahead, in fact, the story has just begun. Sigh… sorry for the long delay, college is trying to kill us. We will try to update faster, promise! Anyway, please review so we can know that there's still somebody read this story. Oh, and we run out of money to sustain our live lately, so if you want to throw any veg or fruit, please make sure that they're edible… at least they can help in feeding us…)