BAMBOO

by mary.okeeffe.16

Based on the Tale of the Bamboo Cutter, Kaguya Hime was the daughter of a wealthy bamboo cutter and a prodigy in music. After too many men admiring her beauty, she decided to clear her head when she meets Saku. Who gives her a vision of an ancient kingdom on the moon and begins to wonder why she has them. She'll encounter dragons, handsome princes, and other magical creatures.

7. The Ring Of The Moon Kingdom

The morning came, and Kaguya, Niku, Nakauji, Saku, and Riyo were off to the palace, but not before they headed for an abandoned farm. "Here we are," Niku smiled. "Today is the day of the Moon Festival at Lord Koreyoshi's palace."

Kaguya looked at the scroll and saw a ring with a bunch of tanks.

"Tanukis are shapeshifting raccoons," Saku explained. "They're very jolly, but can sometimes be absent-minded and completely gullible."

"I bet they would fall for any pranks," Nakauji suggested.

"Plus, I remember seeing statues of them in our palace," Niku replied. "Father said it was good art."

Riyo was walking around when he saw a monkey that looked like him. They made the same moves, but then one Riyo stuck his tongue out and turned into a tanuki. Riyo rushed quickly towards Nakauji, who hugged him.

Then a whole bunch of tanukis surrounded them. "It's a tanuki party in here!" Niku shouted.

Saku got an idea. "Oh my gosh!" she shouted. "Is that a samurai warrior back there?"

The Tanukis looked and our heroes made their way to the ring. "There it is," Kaguya said. "The Ring of the Moon Kingdom."

As Kaguya placed the ring on her left ring finger, she started to get another flashback from her infancy. A man was showing her a box with a ring in it.

"This ring symbolizes the prince your going to marry one day," said the man.

"One day," said the woman, "you will be his bride and will rule the kingdom together."

Kaguya got sent back into the real world. "I think I'm engaged to a prince," she suggested.

Nakauji had a feeling that her flashbacks and his first betrothal were too much of a coincidence. "By the way," Kaguya smiled, "thanks for helping us, Saku."

"Like I said," Saku replied, "they're completely gullible."

Suddenly, they saw the tanukis bowing to her. Kaguya didn't have a clue why would a bunch of shapeshifting raccoons bow down to her. Kaguya decided to play her kugo to calm them down. Just like that, the tanukis left peacefully. "Less talking," Niku replied, "more festival time."

"Righty-o," Saku replied. "I can't wait for all the music and fun."

After they left the barn, they headed off to Lord Koreyoshi's palace for the Moon Festival.

The Tanukis admired Kaguya so much, that they decided to follow her.