Kaga and the beast

Kal Kally

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Disclaimer: HnG is not mine. Kaga is not mine. Akira is not mine. Hikaru is not mine.

Summary: Ogata had to give one of his children to the hideous beast as compensation for the mistake that he made. Would the chosen child have the strength to bear the beast's cruelty and capture his heart?

Warning: AU, Yaoi

A/N: Please review…

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Chapter 5: Of cruel robbers and savage lions

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Sometime in the night, Kaga woke up, only to feel that something was terribly wrong. He looked around sleepily, trying to see if something had happened. He didn't see anything suspicious, so he lay down, intending to get back to sleep. However, as he drafted an arm over Hikaru, he realized the boy had gone.

Maybe the boy had gone to the kitchen for some snacks. Kaga pulled the blanket over his head and immediately fall back to sleep. Outside, the sun hadn't even risen.

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Shadows lurked among the bushes around the path through the forest even as weak moonlight streamed over dark leaves to fall on the shoulders of the lone traveler. Small, fragile-looking he was, but the danger of a forest at night didn't catch up with him. The traveler let the horse to move slowly as he eyed his surroundings curiously. The thick, black coat and the hood hide away his appearance, but on his ungloved hand, a gem ring decorated his index finger. This person must be very rich.

A robber ran out from a bush and waved the knife before the traveler, shouting with a very, very loud voice.

"MONEY OR LIFE?"

"What's money?" The hooded man asked. His voice was soft, almost like that of a boy.

"Money is money. What else could it be?"

"Then what does the 'money or life' mean?"

"It means that if you don't hand over all your money now, you'll be dead."

"But why if I don't hand over all my money, I'll be dead?"

"Because... because I want so."

"Why do you want something like that?"

"I'm a robber, damn it. No, don't ask. A robber is the one who take others' possessions by force. Enough of talking! Handoveryourmoney!!"

"Um... I'm really sorry for disappointing you, but I still don't understand what money is."

"Dammit. Money is precious thing that you use to buy food or clothes. Got it?"

Completely unexpected to the robber, the mysterious person started to sniff. "Oh... I understand now, you're very poor. You don't have food or clothes. Oh, what a poor man." He took the ring off his finger in one swift movement and handed it out. "Here, take it. This is also precious, I think it's money."

The robber took a step back suspiciously. It was not usually that you could see someone that ridiculously generous. "You... there's poison on it, isn't it?"

"What?"

"I take the ring, and I'll experience extreme pain, then die, is that what you want? Unfortunately, I've seen other robbers do it for ages."

"I don't understand."

"Or is it that you have arranged ambush around here?"

"What is an ambush?"

"Arghh…" The robber tore his hair. "Forget it. I mean I take that ring, and I die!"

"Um... If I don't give you money, I die. If you take it, you die. So what should we do?"

"So that's right! You want to kill me! I won't take it!"

"No, you must take it, or else you won't have food and clothes." The mysterious guy insisted.

"Arghhh... Get away from me!!" The robber fled, fed up with the conversation.

"Don't run! Take this!" The mysterious guy chased after him.

Unfortunately, the robber stepped on a rock and fell into a bush. The man on the horse looked around, but didn't see anyone. "Where is he? I don't like disappearing humans." Then he rode away.

It was said that later, the robber had quit his career and became a priest. Then he became very well-known for his big voice... um... did I really say that? I mean big heart. When he died, many people had shed tears for their dear Father Tsubasa.

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Kaga put his arm over Hikaru's shoulder, but discovered only empty air. Cracking his eyes open, he complained sleepily. "Why does it take him so long?"

Then he rolled to the side, and resumed his sleep.

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Morning hadn't come, but the sky lit up with the sunlight from under the horizon. The traveler's face brightened up as he stared at the tiny flowers along the road in wonder. Once in a while, he raised his hand up and let the glow of dawn slip through his fingers, laughing happily, his voice almost like a child's.

A tiger jumped out from the bush, threatening to make the traveler his meal.

Suddenly the lone traveler jumped down from the horse and ran to the tiger with a waving tail behind him. The tiger froze, was this stranger one of its kind?

Facing with a fearsome carnivore, but the mysterious traveler wasn't afraid; instead, he looked quite happy. He stopped before the tiger and patted its head.

"Kitten!!"

Then he happily ran back to his horse and rode away, waving at the tiger all the time until he got out of sight. The tiger remained frozen on the forest floor.

Later, there was a rumor that people had seen the poor creature licking milk near the stove of an old woman.

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Kaga turned again, the blanket slid off him. He pulled it over him again. Hikaru still didn't come back. Oh well, fuck it. Maybe the boy had fallen asleep right on the kitchen floor.

What a bad prince!

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The sun had marked its appearance in the Eastern sky. There was a stranger coming to the town on a horse. He wore a black coat that covered almost every inch of his body, and on his head was a hood that hid his face away from prying eyes. The town people looked at each other questioningly. There was a suspicious air around the newcomer. What if he was a robber?

The mentioned guy rode to the nearest guy and asked. Immediately, all suspicion disappeared. The voice of the newcomer was obviously a child's.

"Excuse me, where could I find the goldfish castle?"

"What castle? No castle with that funny name here."

"Oh... so Corporation goldfish?"

"Nothing like that."

"Then goldfish house."

"Nope."

"Uh... goldfish..."

"There's nothing related to goldfish here! You must be mistaken somehow."

The stranger started to sob. "But... then what must I do now?" He said between hiccups. "Tetsuo said there was goldfish!"

"Oh, Kaga Tetsuo!" The man cried. "Why don't you say sooner? His house is at the end of this road."

"Thank you, sir." The stranger bowed politely, then wiped his tears away and continued his journey.

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Kaga stretched his limbs and sat up. What a strange morning. He kept having the feeling that something was missing. He went to the bathroom, then walked down the stair. As usual, a delicious meal had been prepared especially for him. He sat down on a chair and looked around. The feeling of something missing became stronger.

It was not his business anyway. Kaga started eating, but as soon as he lifted his glass to take a sip, he immediately spat the fluid out. "What the hell is this?!"

A servant ran into the room. "What do you want, master?" According to the voice, it must be the one named Tsutsui.

"Why do you serve me milk?!"

"It's sake!"

"No, it's milk!"

"Sake!"

"Milk!"

"Sake!"

"Just taste it to see if it's milk or sake."

"You said it's sake."

"Oh... It's sake only to Hikaru, not to me!" As memories came back, he was suddenly aware of something wrong. "Speaking of Hikaru. Where is he?"

"I thought you know." Tsutsui answered. "Well, let me see." There was the sound of flipping pages."

Kaga groaned. "Tsutsui, what the hell are you doing? Are you an idiot, looking for this in a book?"

"But there's not a rule against it or something."

"That's not the point. This is why you're always just a servant! Don't you know that a book is useless once you face with reality?!"

"I know but... I can't think of anything without it if it's about Prince Hikaru."

Kaga sighed. "Well, whatever. So where is he?"

Suddenly, Akari burst into the room. "Prince Hikaru had disappeared!!"

"What?" Kaga and Tsutsui asked at the same time.

"Here, read this." The girl said, and a piece of paper floated to Kaga.

Kaga received it, opened and read, then crumpled it and threw it to the floor. "What the hell is this?! How dare him!!"

"What does it say?" Tsutsui asked.

"If things happened to him, I couldn't care less." Kaga said angrily and stormed back to his room.

Tsutsui frowned and picked the piece of paper up. It said, "Kaga, I will go to your town to save your father. I'll go back tonight. Don't drink all the sake, please!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" A heartfelt scream erupted and shook the whole castle. Chaos followed, as a little search for the Prince began.

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TBC…