COPYRIGHT INFORMATION: The characters here only belong to CLAMP, well probably for some of those that I created myself. Other than that, they are strictly the property of the CLAMP manga team of four women and they rock!
AUTHOR'S NOTE: Anyone may notice that the previous chronicle was a little dull…well…even I, found it a little boring too. But, don't worry! This time I'll try to write a better and more interesting chronicle. So, please review more if you want! )
ANNOUNCEMENTS: 1. From now on, this story will have two chronicles per week released. There will be further notice if the author wishes to pause it for a while for further research; 2. This story will be designed more like a manga chapter system.
CHRONICLE SIX: COINCIDENCE
The princess took a slight sip of the cup of tea she had just been served with. She was with her chambermaid undercover at the Takahashi inn. Her mind was full of a plan to secretly inform the owner of the inn of her sister's situation. It was not long before a commotion would happen.
"Tomoyo-ojousama," Hanako her chambermaid undercover as a commoner asked her mistress politely. "What do we do from here?"
"We wait," came the few words of Tomoyo's reply. "We wait for a good time. We cannot just go up to the inn owner."
BAM!
The wall came crashing down just a few metres from the princess. A man had been thrown across to the inn's wall that it had broken. Tomoyo stood up to survey the damage and how a man could be easily thrown onto the second floor as simple as that. Her chambermaid rushed forward to protect her princess.
"Ojousama," she questioned the princess. "Are you alright?"
"I am," she replied back and turned to see who had thrown the man across. On the street outside the inn, a man in all black was cheered on by the crowd. "That person there. How did he throw with such immense strength?"
"That person isn't human," the injured man rose up from the floor, with wooden splinters all plastered around his body. "To think he can throw a human across means he's a monster." The injured person soon got up properly and quickly ran off in an unknown direction.
"That person sure does look like a ruffian," Hanako commented on the man in black who was being cheered on. "We had better avoid him to avoid trouble."
"That boy…" Tomoyo spoke slowly and gently, looking at him. "He's no older than twenty, just only a child." Her eyes soon met the crimson pupils of the boy in black. The boy in black, Kurogane soon froze at the sight of her.
"That girl there," he whispered to himself as he slowly pushed away from the crowd and advanced towards the inn. "She looks rather familiar…" His eyes were now full of nostalgia and curiosity as his legs pushed forward towards the inn.
"Stop!" Some of the people came out from the inn and approached him. "We will not let a ruffian enter our inn and ruin our upper-class image."
"You'd better open this inn," he took out a single curved sword and pointed it at the people. "Or you'll be sorry." The people who had blocked his path were beginning to feel nervous.
"It is okay," a certain young female voice sounded again to the inns people. Tomoyo walked across to meet the young ninja who had lowered down his sword. Kurogane's heart beat faster as she approached him nearer. "I believe you're searching for me."
"Well…yes," he closed his eyes and turned his face away. "Are you from the nobility?"
"That…" she spoke slowly as he turned back to look at her with the glare of his crimson eyes. "…is a personal question I cannot answer you now."
"Fine," he began to turn and walk away from the inn. "Then your name probably isn't Tomoyo." She was slightly amazed that he could guess out her name.
"I am Tomoyo."
Kurogane froze as he heard what she had said. Resting the sword on his shoulder, he turned around to give a closer look at her. "What did you say?"
"My name is Tomoyo."
Can two people who look alike have the same name as well…?
He gave a closer glance at her and looked closer at her. "Are you sure about that?" He continued to rest his weapon on his shoulder. "Are you from the nobility?" There was no response to that question.
"What is your name?"
"That…" he was suddenly closed his eyes and thought for a while before reopening them. "…is a personal question I cannot answer you."
"Fine," she mimicked him back although she continued to maintain a calm and kind look on her face. "I never heard of a law that states people considering names too secretive to be told. Can you tell me the place that created that law?"
The black ninja just turned towards her with a defeated look. He knew he could not rebut her in arguments. "My name is Kurogane, get it?" He began to walk away onto the busy street.
"Tomoyo-ojousama!" Her chambermaid came running to her again. "What exactly happened?"
"Nothing really," she replied back. "I've just got to know a young ninja who is a little fresh with people. Have you told the inn owner?"
"Yes," she answered back. "He gave no reply though." Tomoyo was confused at the fact that the inn owner was not responding to what her sister had predicted earlier on.
"Shouldn't he have a reply?"
"I have no idea, princess," the chambermaid shrugged her shoulders. She took out a handkerchief from an opening in her dress. "By the way, someone gave me a handkerchief with a beautiful smell. Would you like to smell it?"
"If it is good to smell," Tomoyo replied back gently. "Then by all means." It was not long before her chambermaid placed the handkerchief over her nose. "It does make you dizzy though…" her voice trailed off as she lost consciousness with a smiling chambermaid suddenly calling for help from the inn.
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Kurogane the ninja walked down the street pondering over what had happened earlier. He had placed his sword back in its sheath and was walking along the busy street filled with crowds.
Could there be a link? But she didn't seem to recognize me at all…
He pondered over the fact as he quickly walked into a dark alley to avoid being seen by the crowds who were avoiding him because of his red eyes. Entering the dark alley, he noticed that it was awfully quiet for a rather big alley. The air was still with no sign of anyone there.
"Whoever you are," he spoke aggressively without facing anyone. "Come out from your hiding!" Kurogane drew out his sword once again for defense. He could hear footsteps approaching him. The ninja turned to see the footsteps and caught the eye of a masked ninja standing there before him.
"Excellent," the masked ninja clapped his hands with his voice muffled by the black cloth that covered his mouth. "You must have been trained in ninjutsu before by a well renowned ninja." Kurogane held his sword in front of him and stared at the ninja.
"What do you want?"
"It seems that the poor Tomoyo has been kidnapped…"
"WHAT?" Kurogane suddenly shouted out but folded his arms and closed his eyes. "But she is of no relation to me. Why should I?"
"You could get something valuable from her…"
"What valuable things?" The ninja opened one eye to look at the masked one. "Your offers sound vague."
"Something worth more than a bounty," the sinister voice of the masked ninja sounded through the corridors of the dark alley. "Perhaps you should give a try. Farewell." With his last words, the masked ninja made a quick escape too fast for Kurogane to observe. He placed his sword back in its sheath.
"Bounty, huh?" Kurogane smiled to himself with an evil aura. "Sounds interesting."
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Tomoyo stirred to find herself tied up with a strong rope. She had remembered being knocked out by the handkerchief her chambermaid had let her smell. She try to move, but it was to no avail that the rope would break. She heard the wooden door creak open inside the dark room she was in.
"Good evening, your highness," she looked up to see a man walk into the room with her chambermaid behind. "I see you have awakened from your sleep."
"What's going on here?" Tomoyo inquired. "What's the meaning of this?"
"A princess who pretends to be wise is being inquisitive?" The man in brown clothing laughed sinisterly. "You didn't expect your own servant to betray you, did you?"
"No," Tomoyo replied back a single answer which amazed the man and her chambermaid. "I've already known that Hanako was going to betray me." She looked up at them with a calm but expressionless face.
"I see," the man answered back to the princess. "So you do have excellent observation." He was trying to behave like a hypocrite, which disgusted Tomoyo although she did not show it in her face.
"What do you want to do with me?" She demanded an answer while wriggling in the tight wrapping of the rope.
"I see you're straightforward, your highness," he commented back and looked at the chambermaid who nodded her head as soon as her eyes had met his. "We intend to make you realize your real power."
The princess was utterly bewildered by what the man was saying. Realise her real power? What did he mean by real power? She could only ponder and think over what the man had just said before the traitorous pair closed the wooden door in front of Tomoyo.
END OF CHRONICLE SIX
CHRONICLE SEVEN: ENTER KUROGANE THE NINJA!
CONCLUSION: Tomoyo is kidnapped? Well, it is no surprise after all since she is always kidnapped after all. How would Kurogane come to aid the princess? Would he help her or will he be an accomplice in trying to do some strange things to her? Find out in the next installment of Princess & Ninja: A Feudal Fairytale!
GLOSSARY: I didn't put any Japanese words here much, so I suppose most of the Japanese words found here can have their meanings found in the glossaries of previous chronicles.