Disclaimer: if I could own CM, the only part of it that I would really want for keepers would be the font they use on the cover. Keep Mahiru and Mitsuru, keep Akira and Nozomu—I want the font, and that's it.
My first CM fic ever—please be kind. It's going to be humorous, and it's obviously going to be romantic…so bare with me. Expect rather slow updates…at least until after next Thursday (and maybe next Monday)—that's when all the obligatory stuff in my life ends and I'm left with the summer to myself.
Capture Me Care for Me:
Shirogane has gone missing, and it looks like the Moon Bandits may be the only ones able to locate the Emperor. And with things getting serious with Mitsuru and Mahiru, what will happen when a human suitor turns up? Three years after the series.
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Chap 8: Time Limits
Mahiru held onto the little Emperor as the Bandits approached the Moon Palace, grateful that he didn't kick or try to twist away from her. At her left, Mitsuru was holding Shirogane's little friend, Kirsa. The girl was cute, probably about Shirogane's age. She seemed like a regular, authentic earth kid. Mahiru wondered how and why Shirogane had befriended her.
When they arrived, the Moon Palace was chaos. The evil voices in the halls were silent--in fact, the palace was so quiet that Mahiru's ears rung with the roaring absence of noise. Nothing in the immediate area so much as shifted...but far off, Mahiru could hear the sound of drums.
Shirogane turned his head to look up at her as best he could. "Put me down, Mahiru." he commanded. She did so without thinking, and he took several steps away from the Bandits to regard his empty Palace. "What's happened while I was gone?" he demanded, turning towards them.
Misoka cleared his throat. "We've been searching for you, Emperor, for many reasons. I believe that the absence of Oboro and the others is due to Mahiru's problem more than the others, which can wait for now. I think that the Palace has been attacked by humans while we were away."
Shriogane glared up at Mahiru. "What have you done?" he asked.
"Oi," said Mitsuru, releasing Kirsa. She didn't fall, but her landing on the floor wasn't graceful either. "It's not Mahiru's fault. This bastard came here from out of nowhere and demanded we give her to him."
"He thinks we're betrothed," Mahiru explained. "He was threatening war earlier, but...I thought that he wouldn't start one while we were gone." She hung her head, shoulders bending towards one another. "I was wrong," she said. "I'm sorry."
Shirogane glanced at Kirsa, who was standing in the hall with her mouth hanging open. Mahiru did not see them, but tried to keep tears from building in her eyes. If anything happened to Orboro while they were away, it would be her fault. She thought Koku was too lovestruck and stupid to actually attack the Moon Palace. Her mistake may have cost her friends their kingdom and one of her mentors his life.
The Emperor took charge of the situation, strangely. "Misoka, you and the Bandits will locate any survivors that you can in the Palace. So far, we haven't seen any bloodshed. When you're done with the sweep, you will escort Kirsa back to her home. Mahiru, you will stay with me and explain to my friend what she has seen here. After these necessities are taken care of, we'll decide what we're going to do."
Misoka accepted the order and turned to comply, quietly directing each Bandit towards a seperate wing of the Palace. Mitsuru glared at Shirogane for a moment, then looked up at Mahiru. When his eyes met hers, they softened. She took a deep breath and batted the tears out of her eyes. Crying now would be stupid--she had to repair what damage was already done. At least Mitsuru would be here to protect her when she had to confront Koku again.
"Now," Shirogane's voice said, demanding Mahiru's attention from Mitsuru. He turned, slowly stalking in the direction Misoka directed him. "You will explain to Kirsa that she is not dreaming, Mahiru."
She looked at the little girl. Kirsa was handling herself fairly well, to tell the truth. Mahiru brushed away the last of her trepidation and resolved herself to do what she could where she was.
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Koku smiled as he looked over his progress. Yes, it had been as easy to take the Moon Palace as he thought it would be. He was worried that, when he rounded up everyone that he found on the premises, including the shadow-people with the irritating voices, he did not find a leader. The closest he came was an old man that told him repeatedly he was not the Emperor, but would serve in his place as hostage or martyr if Koku deemed such a display necessary.
Faced with a dilemma, he had to decide how best to accomplish his goal. As it stood, Koku could not gaurentee that Mahiru would be forever freed from the evil kidnapping demons that plagued her.
Thus, he called his good cousin Akusai (a name in Japanese that, when translated to English, means "Evil Genius"), and asked for his aid in securing the Palace.
Akusai, tragically true to his name, was as good as a tactician and battle-hardened warrior that Koku was likely to find on his list of acquaintences. He enjoyed spending all his free time in his parent's basement playing mortal-combat type video games, when he wasn't hard at work in the local pet-supply mart. At the prospect of actually strapping a sword to his side and appearing in authentic armor to direct a battle, he nearly peed himself.
But all that, Koku was blisfully unaware of. To him, Akusai was an abso-freaking genius. He was mean, he was bloodthirsty, he was effective. All that Koku needed now was Mahiru at his side, and his conquest of the Moon Palace would be complete. Happily, Akusai told him that they would be running a third sweep of the Palace, to check for any people that might have escaped all their previous sweeps. He mentioned nothing about his desire to set the building on fire, skewer the captives with long spears, and peg them in the ground like a grotesque picket fence around the blaze.
No, no...that would have scared Koku too much. He would have sent his cousin home. For now, the mastermind had to deal with the idiot. When he saw the beautiful girl that the moron probably wasn't even worthy of, he would decide whether or not to take her for himself, and decide if he was going to do the bit with the fire after that.
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Kirsa took the explaination pretty well, in Shirogane's mind. Mahiru was the obvious canidate for explaining to an earth girl the workings of the Moon Kingdom and the creatures located there. She experienced the same sort of introduction just years before, when she first met the Bandits and was drawn into imperial politics.
Shirogane paced back and forth as each Bandit returned to the hall they had all arrived in, their searches turning up nothing. Misoka was the last to return, after scouring his wing from top to bottom for any evidence of struggles or invaders. But like the rest, he was forced to admit that he returned without anything. Shirogane observed their returns and was not surprised at the lack of evidence, but he could tell that it was bothering Mahiru more and more. When everyone stood and awaited his next orders, he turned to Mitsuru.
"Tengu," he said simply. Mitsuru reacted in his usual bristling manner, glaring at his young Emperor. "What manner of person is Lord Koku of Earth?" he asked.
Mitsuru took a deep breath to explain. Shirogane saw the other Bandits look from one to another in amazement--usually, that sort of question would be directed at Misoka for the best possible answer. But Shirogane did not want to act rationally. They were at war, not engaging in espionage. He needed someone to give him biased information about their enemy, someone hotheaded and rash that wouldn't mind a battle. Of course, Shirogane did not intend to fight himself, but he would oversee the retailation of the Bandits against the invaders. From their services in the past, he was fairly certain that they were capable enough of handling a single human.
"Koku isn't smart," Mitsuru bit out. "He only hears what he wants to. He doesn't think rationally."
Shirogane nodded. "I imagine someone told him that demons were bloodthirsty and evil," he speculated out loud.
Mahiru stepped forward. "Emperor," she said, voice pleading. Shirogane looked up at her, if only due to his confusion at the tone of her voice. "Koku doesn't mean any harm," she explained. "He was told that I've been kidnapped. He thinks that he's rescuing me. Please, if you allow me to speak with him, I might be able to arrange the return of Oboro and the others without bloodshed."
The Emperor considered her offer.
"No," Mitsuru said, stepping towards Mahiru. "It's walking into his hands. That's exactly what he wants you to do."
Mahiru glared at him. "Mitsuru," she snapped. Shirogane never heard her irritated before, but speculated silently that the years past may have changed her--or at least, her treatment of the Tengu. "He's not planning anything, and you know it."
Mitsuru glared back. "I do know it," he replied. "I know that he wants to get you away from us."
She took a step towards him. "And do what?" she demanded.
"And keep you away from us."
Mitsuru and Mahiru turned as one to stare open-mouthed at Akira. He was half-transformed, as he liked to be, and his ears drooped in response to their wrath. "Why?" Mahiru asked.
Akira shrugged. "Because he'd think he was saving you," he said.
Mahiru frowned. "How do any of you know that he wants to save me?"
Misoka now stepped forward. "Mahiru, we all spoke with him before we collected you. He told us that much,"
She was defeated. Shirogane took charge, and brought the topic back around. "We need to determine if we will speak with him, or attack."
Mahiru spun to face him, anxious. "Please, let me talk with him," she said.
The Emperor consented, despite the glares that Mitsuru angled towards him. "If that fails, we will attack," he decided. "And now, we will return Kirsa."
She had watched all the arguments and orders being given with quiet interest, standing out of the line of verbal fire. When Shriogane mentioned her name, she calmly approached. He was gratified to notice that she didn't hesitate or worry about addressing an Emperor--their friendship might survive, then. The girl would be returned and kept from whatever war would emerge, and the Emperor could only hope that, when they next spoke, she would be the same Kirsa he had befriended.
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the writing bug fell upon me, and so write I did. though, to be fair, I should explain that the reason for my slow updates are not because I have no interest, but because I've been devoting a lot of time to serious writing of my own. please, bear with my sluggish continuation of these stories...since, come summer, I should have enough time to finish them. mostly.