Ok so I suck at keeping update promises…so here it is the 5th and final chapter of Nemurihime: Sleeping Beauty. (sad, I know….Ok, it would be sadder if I actually updated on time)

On to the final chapter!

Chapter 5: True Love Conquers All

Shigure had seen the entire escape scene from the window of Akito's tower, he then proceeded to chase after the escapees in his dog form, barking loudly to wake his sleeping mistress and to cause more attack from the useless guards. Uo, thoroughly pissed off at his persistence turned in mid-flight and turned him to stone.

"That'll keep the mutt quiet" she turned satisfied and followed the prince.

At that moment Akito emerged from her quarters annoyed immensely at all the commotion, "Silence! Tell those fools to-" she yelled angrily to the dog-statue Shigure, but then realised what had happened to him and looked franticly to his face, then realised the spell was irreversible, "No! No! Shigure, my pet! No! NO! NO!" she yelled in despair and then anger as she saw her prisoner and the two good fairies approaching the castle's drawbridge. The useless guards attempted a useful thing and raised the drawbridge, but it was already too late, Kyo had made it to the rising edge and with a magic laced jump, made it to the other side and continued closer to the castle and Tohru.

"Come on orangey, hurry it up" Uo said glancing behind her to the now furious Akito, not a pretty sight. Akito then raised her staff and shot to deadly spells at the escaping party, but managed to miss, she finally resorted to a bigger spell. Kyo suddenly heard Akito's menacing voice boom through the night

"A forest of thorn shall be his tomb.
Born through the skies on a fog of doom.
Now go with the curse and serve me well,
Round Katsuya's castle cast by spell!"

And as ordered, thick grey-green fog and heavy clouds swirled around the castle. From the strikes of lightning that exploded from the sky, grew giant thorny branches which twisted their way around the castle until all entrances were concealed by a thick thorny forest. Kyo shivered in fear from the words intended for him and the mere sight of the force of the spell. He stopped abruptly in front of 'The Forest of Doom' as he had named it.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, get in there!" Uo yelled swooping down to his level, Kyo merely looked at her with so much fear in his face, she almost felt pity, almost, but before she could give him a verbal kick in the arse, Hana joined them and looked Kyo straight in the eye and said: "Kyo, we will protect you as much as we can, but the real battle is between you and Akito, for the one you love, Tohru, you love her don't you?" Hana looked at him sternly, yet as caring as she could manage. Kyo looked from her to Uo whose look had now softened. He then knew what he had to do, he gave a curt nod to Hana and Uo and then charged into the thorn forest thrashing madly with his sword at the thorny branches, his clothes caught on the thorns and ripped but he was determined to get to Tohru. Finally with a wild whiney from Haru and defiant yell from Kyo, they broke through.

"NO! It can't be!" Akito stared in horror, but then regained her anger and quickly appeared in front of Kyo, her every fibre emanating pure evil. Haru reared back in fear, but Kyo regained control and faced Akito.

"Now you shall deal with me, monster, and all the powers of hell!" Akito screamed in total hate and slammed her staff on the ground. When the smoke cleared she had become a giant black dragon, fire-breathing dragon, Kyo realised as she shot a stream of green-yellow fire toward him, he galloped out of the way just in time but fell from the saddle. Haru ran to the safety of the thorn forest, which left Kyo on his own, facing his worst nightmare, with a sword and shield. 'Shit' Kyo looked around desperately, but there was nowhere to go. Akito cackled and sent another stream of fire Kyo's way, he blocked it with his shield and managed to fight his way to another clearing in the forest using his sword to block Akito's now giant razor sharp teeth snapping at him. Unfortunately for Kyo, he had fallen into Akito's trap and now realised he was standing on the edge of a cliff.

"A little help maybe?!" Kyo yelled to Hana and Uo. They quickly flew closer and started conjuring a spell

"Now sword of truth fly swift and sure,
That evil die and good endure!"
Kyo's sword gleamed and he threw it with all of his strength at the evil monster in front of him. The sword spun through the air and landed deep in Akito's chest, puncturing her heart. Akito screamed out in pain and with a last attempt shot fire at Kyo, it missed him by a centimetre as he ran forward, out of the way of the falling body. Kyo ventured forward to the edge of the cliff and saw all that remained of the sorceress was a dark stain surrounding the glimmering sword.

Looking up Kyo saw that the sky had cleared and the remaining thorns surrounding the castle had melted away. Kyo found Haru and then galloped to the castle's now open drawbridge and into the sleeping court. Hana and Uo told Kyo where Tohru lay and he quickly ran up to her chambers. The sight that lay before him as he opened the doors took his breath away; her long silken hair splayed on to the pillow her red lips shaming the rose held in her hands, the peaceful look upon her face, she could have been only sleeping for that moment, not eternity.

Kyo knew that he loved her, peasant girl or princess, no matter what, so he walked up to her bed, knelt by her side and leaned in. He stroked a single stray hair out of her eyes and lent down ever so slowly to her lips, and then he kissed her, just slightly brushing his lips against hers. Tohru's eyes fluttered open to see her dream prince, she smiled happily and leant up capturing his lips. Kyo was shocked to say the least but obligingly kissed back. The two were so involved in their kiss they didn't notice how the entire kingdom began to wake at that same moment.

Hana and Uo smiled on from the balcony and watched the slumbering kingdom awake in the twilight, celebrating once more. Haru whinnied drawing attention to himself in the courtyard, Hana and Uo flew down to him and changed him into the human he had been all along, dressing him before he could cause some courtiers to faint at his care-free naked-ness.

Inside the court the two kings and queen awoke

"Forgive me Kazuma, the wine… Now you were saying?" Katsuya said to his friend defending what he thought was a momentary nap

"Huh? Oh yes, of course…" Kazuma said regaining his conscious state

"Kyo seems to have fallen in love with a-" trumpets cut him off as Kyo and Tohru descended the staircase.

"Reimei!" Katsuya exclaimed rising from the throne, Kyoko too.

Kyo and Tohru bowed and curtsied and then Tohru ran into her mother's arms.

"Oh Tohru I missed you so much!" she said as she squeezed her in a bear-hug and Katsuya stroked her hair lovingly.

Kazuma looked from Tohru to Kyo and back, confused, then Tohru turned to him and kissed his cheek and curtsied, he then realised the peasant girl had in fact been Reimei all along. Kyo then took her hand and took her to the dance floor as Hana and Uo enchanted the orchestra to play the tune Tohru had been humming, they danced in front of the court and were suddenly lost in their own world as everyone looked on.

Kyoko sniffed "What's wrong my lady?" Hana asked the queen. "Oh nothing, I just love happy endings" she sniffed again, Hana and Uo nodded looking back to the couple.

Tohru and Kyo only saw each other, and that was just fine. They leaned in and kissed as the music ended, and everyone cheered.

The End

Crappy ending I know, but I'm not in a creative mood so I stuck by the Disney cliché ending. I just wanted to get this posted and finished so I can move on to other things.

Hope you enjoyed the story! Review if you want

-bear