To NekoxLove- I'm sorry about Kyo, but you have to admit, he makes a pretty good bandit. Could you imagine Yuki in that role? I haven't quite figured out who's going to end up with whom just yet; Tohru's still kind of up for grabs. I was debating hooking Tohru up with someone other than Kyo and Yuki, since I support neither pairing. I think that if Tohru were to get romantically involved with someone, it would be best if it wasn't a Sohma. Too many people in that family idol-worship her. I'm pretty sure we find out about Akito in chapter 90.
To Jessiegurl43953- Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
To Bambigirl- …. You don't talk much, do you?
Satanira, overjoyed to undertake a mission directly from Akito, left the palace immediately, on the fastest horse available to her. She had contacts in the countryside that would be very helpful, and she needed to speak with them as soon as possible.
Pushing her mount faster, Satanira relished in the feel of the wind through her long blond hair. She was a country girl by nature, and only her love for Akito and the wish to serve him kept her within the city walls. Out in the open, she was much more comfortable.
"I can hardly believe Akito-san trusts me enough for an important mission like this!" She exclaimed happily to the horse, who rolled his eyes dramatically and kept running. "I saw that." Satanira said grumpily, although her elation couldn't be suppressed for long.
"Umm…. Prince-san, why would it be bad to have people with you if your father finds you?" Tohru asked, confused and adorably so.
"Because this time," Yuki explained quietly, "he'll probably send… her." The prince shuddered dramatically, closing his eyes and breathing deeply in an effort to calm himself.
"Don't tell me you're scared to death of some girl!" Kyo exclaimed. "You're supposed to be a prince, dammit!"
"Satanira is no ordinary girl." Yuki snapped, opening his eyes to glare at Kyo. "If my father orders her to find me and bring me home, she will plow right through anyone and anything in her way. She'd gladly kill everyone here just to please him."
"….You're kidding, right?" Arisa asked after a long moment of silence. "You mean someone actually feels kindly towards that overbearing ijit?"
"Overbearing what?" Yuki asked.
"Ijit. I-J-I-T. Says it right there in the script."
Hey! Quick dissecting my insults and get on with it! Your line, Yuki!
"Weird." Yuki muttered, although it was hard to tell whether he was referring to Satanira herself or the dialogue. "So anyway, yes. She's totally infatuated with him, and she'd rather die than disappoint him. Actually, it would be more apt to say she'd rather kill." Tohru gasped in shock, and Yuki nodded sagely. "Exactly. Now, if you'll excuse me-" And he turned his horse and left the clearing.
"Motoko-san!" Satanira called cheerfully, dismounting and securing the reins of her horse to a handy fence to ensure she still had a ride when she was done. "Motoko-san, are you home?"
"Hai, hai, I'm coming!" An irate voice answered from inside the small hut, and a young woman with long, honey brown hair emerged, smoothing imaginary wrinkles from her dress. "Satanira-sama, how good to see you!" Motoko exclaimed, sharing a brief hug with the blond. "What brings you here?"
"It's Prince Yuki." Satanira sighed. "The poor boy's wandered off again, and his father can't find him. I shudder to think of what can happen to him outside the city walls… He knows so little about the real world…"
Motoko gasped, her graceful hands flying to her mouth as her eyes widened with shock.
See, Motoko was the president of the Prince Yuki fanclub, a huge gathering of young women who'd fallen hopelessly in love with the oblivious prince. Any one of literally hundreds would do anything to protect him from danger, real and imagined, and Satanira intended to use that to her full advantage.
"Won't you help me find him, Motoko-san? Before he comes to harm?"
"Of course I will!" Motoko exclaimed, affronted that Satanira felt the need to ask. "Minami-san is inside right now; I'll lend her to you as a guide. Will that do until we've had time to marshal our forces and gather information?"
"I knew I could count on you, Motoko-san!" Satanira said by way of thanks, embracing the brunette before mounting again. "Is Mio-san still at Mokoto-kun's manor? She's the best fighter in the Souma country division of the Fanclub, and I may need her if the Prince has fallen into unkind hands."
"She is." Motoko confirmed as a girl in her late teens with pale blond pigtails hurried outside, carrying a small backpack. "Just tell her I gave you permission to remove her from her post. Mokoto-sempai can lend you horses for them."
"Thank you so much for all your help, Motoko-san." Satanira said, helping Minami up behind her on the saddle. "I mean it."
The surest means of tracking and securing Yuki now at her disposal, Satanira turned her horse and galloped off down the road. This was going to be easy.
With Prince Yuki out of the way, Kyo and Arisa were all set to continue the fight where they'd left off, but Fate had other plans.
The slight rustling of undergrowth was the only warning the group had before a small, lightning-fast figure burst into the clearing, followed closely by another.
The first figure skidded to a stop, his wavy blond hair flopping charmingly over one huge brown eye. His clothing was slightly too big, covering him from neck to knee in bright, cheerful patterns of runes and symbols on a forest green background.
The second figure turned out to be a sedate young man with black and white hair, gray eyes, and black clothing. He was a striking contrast to the blond.
"O-hi-o!" The blond exclaimed happily. "I'm Momiji-chan, the traveling magician, and this is my assistant and childhood friend, Haru-kun!"
"Yo." Was Haru-kun's contribution.
"Potions, charms, spells, and predictions! Come to me for all your magical needs at half what those city charlatans charge!"
"Damn happy Rabbit!" Kyo yelled. "Shut up and get lost!"
Kyo, this is his part! He's supposed to be here, and that's not your line!
"I don't care! He's annoying the hell out of me! I quit!"
You do, and I'll tell Kagura where you are.
Meanwhile, a long way off and completely removed from the current storyline, the authoress and one of the characters were caught in the middle of an explosive disagreement.
"Look, you retarded farm animal, I don't give a damn what you think! This is my fic, and you're going to do whatever I damn well tell you to do!" Satanira exclaimed at the top of her lungs, trying very hard to keep herself from strangling her opponent.
"You really shouldn't talk to me that way; I'm only a kid, you know, and it's bad for me to hear such coarse language." Hiro countered calmly with a small sigh. "Why, I believe it even borders on verbal abuse, speaking that way in front of a child."
"Can it, little boy." Satanira interrupted dangerously. "I mean it. Now put on the damn costume, or so help me, I'll switch your role with Kisa's. She'd do it if I asked her, and you know it. Do you really want that?" Her ultimatum delivered, Satanira again held out the package that was Hiro's carefully tailored costume and waited in silence for his answer.
After a tense moment, Hiro snatched the bundle, stomped back into his dressing room, and slammed the door.
"And if you break anything, you're paying for it!" Satanira shouted after him for good measure before collapsing onto a handy couch with a sigh. "You can come out now, Kisa."
Kisa, dressed in a beautiful Middle Ages style gown of pink and silver, stepped timidly into the room, holding her delicate silver crown in both hands.
"Sorry you had to hear that, but he was really pissing me off. How do you like your costume?"
Kisa smiled her approval, wordlessly holding out her crown so that Satanira could properly place it without disturbing the simple, elegant bun they'd chosen as Kisa's hairstyle. The blond fic author did so, adjusting a few stray strands of hair and straightening the Tiger's skirt.
"Now back up a bit and twirl for me." Satanira instructed, nodding while Kisa did so. "Do you remember all your lines?" Kisa nodded. "Know what you're supposed to do?" Another nod. "Okay, then, off with you, before Hiro gets back. It's bad luck for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, you know."
Kisa blushed and skedaddled.
Now, for something that's actually relevant.
"Minami-chan, do you hear something?" Satanira asked, reining in her horse.
"Yes." Minami answered quietly, closing her eyes. "Voices and horses. Three voices and two horses. Someone's upset."
"Should we go around them, or see what's up?"
"They'd hear us if we tried to go around them." Minami said, shaking her head. "Besides, Prince Yuki came this way, and they might have seen him."
"Good point." Satanira agreed, nudging her horse, who moved forward with great reluctance. "And no guff from you, ya four-legged manure machine."
The poor horse rolled his eyes again and stepped daintily through the bushes screening Satanira and Minami from Kyo, Tohru, and Arisa.
Chapter two, complete. Who'd've thought watching two-year-old twins would be easier than keeping an eye on a ten-year-old and a twelve-year-old?