Samurai Princess
Disclaimer: The usual... I own nothing except my own ideas.
Chapter 7
Kyo returned with a smirk on his face and a glint in his eye. Almost immediately a servant who carried his mother's summons accosted him. He walked into the ballroom to see Okuni giving out orders like arrows from a bow. He almost pitied them, almost. As it was he had to live with her all his life without reprieve.
Kyo walked into the grand ballroom, pushing the double doors open with no effort at all. It was bustling with activity, cooks running about florists hoisting arrangements, servants hanging up streamers and banners and in the midst of it all sat his mother randomly calling out orders. Kyo felt like laughing, all this wasn't suitable for his future bride! It would have to change.
"Mother, what's all this?"
"Oh, Kyo! It's good that you're back darling. Well, how do you like the preparations?"
Kyo shot a look around, "The blue must go!" And once he got down to it he couldn't be stopped.
"More red banners! Do we not have any orchids?"
"I'm sorry Your Highness, orchids aren't avai-"
"SO GET SOME!" Kyo roared, "And while you're at it get some mauve lilac and some tuberose as well!"
Next came the chef, "What is this? Where are the sweets? More tarts and cakes!" The poor short man went flying to the kitchen almost tripping over his apron in his haste to carry out the Prince's orders.
"Has anyone seen Benitora?" asked Kyo an exasperated look on his face.
"No one has seen him Kyo," answered Okuni, preoccupied with getting the flowers in her hair absolutely right.
"That's impossible, who's gonna be my best man then?" The noise that was made by the clattering of the tray of flowers was dulled by the scream as Okuni launched herself at Kyo.
"Do tell your dear Mama who she is?" Kyo scoffed and shook his head, but a smile played at the corners of his mouth. "Well, at least promise to tell me when she appears." Kyo nodded this time.
And so, after dutifully delivering this piece of information, Kyo walked out of the hall intending to get in some training before the princesses began converging upon the palace in about 8 hours.
- - - - - - - - - -
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
"Oh, Yuya! Don't look at me like that! This is for your own good."
Yuya glared up at Nobunaga who was looking at her through the door fifty feet above the water level where she was. He had thrown some roses in to try and liven her up a little he said but with a few pecks of her beak they were destroyed. The worst part was she knew she couldn't escape because Nobunaga had located all her friends and thrown them into the well/tower with her. Most likely it used to be used for torure purposes, there were chains and manacles lining the walls. There was however an annoying lack of stairs. The water that lay stagnant at the bottom of the tower was most likely coming from the moat outside.
Another smaller door opened at the top of the tower, "Oh, by the way, I brought you another little friend to replace your prince tonight." And there hung the stupidest male Yuya had ever seen. He was thin and wore a cloth over his shockingly red hair. Currently he was struggling against the witch that was pushing him closer and closer to the edge. "Poor little fellow. He got lost in the woods." Finally he did fall in. Not one to abandon helpless souls, Yuya dove into the water and pulled him up. The door was slammed immediately after that.
Yuya scrutinized the newcomer, and found traces of a boy he knew when she was younger. Oh this was just too much! Two ghosts form her past in less than 24 hours. Yuya felt like laughing.
"Cheer up Yuya! We'll get you out of here!" Yuya looked up at Sakuya who was perched atop a beam that jutted out approximately three feet from the surface of the water. Kyoshiro the otter was satisfied to float around in the water at the bottom of the tower while Yukimura perched himself beside Sakuya.
Yukimura didn't say a thing. He was pensive in his silence and Yuya didn't wish to disturb him. Then the all jumped when Yukimura exclaimed.
"I got it! For water to get in here, there must be a hole. If the hole is small enough, Kyoshiro might be able to get through!"
Even before he finished Kyoshiro was denying, "No! I can't do that! Do you know what's on the other side of this wall in the water?"
Sakuya exhibited her wheedling skills and after a long and heated argument, Kyoshiro consented to his beloved's wishes that he go outside, get into the castle, find the tower and unlock the door so the other four would be able to get out.
"But I don't understand why you and Yukimura-san cant get me out," whined Kyoshiro to Yuya. Kyoshiro bit back, "Well, maybe if you would eat less there would be a chance that the job could be accomplished faster. But if you so insist to idle away time chatting, Yuya-san will never break this curse!"
- - - - - - - - - -
Kyoshiro muttered profanities under his breath as he scampered through the maze of passages. He had made it past the hungry mutant zombie aquatic life within the moat, made it past Santera and now had to find one door in a thousand. Each door he opened he found nothing of any use, empty or reeking of rotting flesh. He opened yet another door, his otter paws scratching against the wood. Seeing the cell unoccupied he was prepared to go scampering off but then heard a sound.
His heart beat sped up. His eyes widened and his mind lost control of his body. A dark figure approached and Kyoshiro was frantically saying his last prayers, watched as his life flashed before his eyes and stood motionless. The figure spoke, "Well, well. If it isn't a little otter com to save me."
The voice was distinctly female if cracked from misuse. She crouched down, her long matted hair hung before her face which had a waxy pallor giving a ghostly effect to her. Her sunken eyes only enhanced this fact.
She spoke again, "Well little otter, are you an otter?"
Kyoshiro found his voice again, "No I'm not! I'm the second prince of the Mibu line. Second only to my brother Prince Kyo! My name is Kyoshiro. And I am certainly no otter! What are you doing here?"
The female bowed her head, "Nobunaga thought I would come in useful so he trapped me here. I do the cooking and cleaning. Sometimes that is."
Kyoshiro felt sorry for the unfortunate girl, "Hey, I might need help, so why don't you come along with me. I have to help some of my friends."
As they ran through the passages, the female led as she seemed to know the way to the tower Kyoshiro asked for her name. Her answer was ambiguous, "I don't have a name. At least, not anymore. No one would refer to me as the person I was before so I no longer use it."
- - - - - - - - - -
Yukimura was getting impatient. Where was Kyoshiro? Just as Yukimura was preparing to pull out some of his feathers, he heard a little scuffle from above.
"Come on, heave-ho, heave-ho… Just a little more…" And with a groan the hinges of the door gave way opened.
"Yuya-chan! Hurry! We have to get you outta here!" said the small otter head that popped over the edge.
Yuya tried to get Benitora to move but he was so horrified that any of the animals were approaching him that he merely screamed and refused to let go. Sighing, Yuya left him confident that he would be able to find his way out sooner or later. So, while she and Yukimura flew up, Sakuya jumped from beam to protruding beam. Within no time at all they were at the top and climbing out of the hole.
The first thing that Yuya noticed was the old had in the corner. She jumped back with a squawk.
"No, no! Please, I'm here to help," the woman raised both hands in a gesture of non-violence.
"How do we know that?" Yukimura demanded.
The old woman bowed her head, "Because I too am a victim of Nobunaga's spells." She raised her head, "Just like how you are not really a falcon, I'm not really an old woman."
Yuya looked at Yukimura. Right now she trusted his judgment infinitely. Finally he bobbed his beaked head and they took off, following the old woman. Paths and passages that they would normally not have chosen or seen became clearer and within ten minutes the night air on a balcony high above the ground greeted them.
Yuya was almost about to turn back to her friends when Yukimura shouted, "GO! You have no time to waste! You have to reach the castle!"
And so, with a nod, Yuya spread her wings and dropped over the railing.
- - - - - - - - - -
Yukimura turned back, readying to transport everyone out of the castle. He frowned.
"Who are you?" he directed to the hag standing in the dark.
She cringed back, almost as though she was afraid, "I'd rather not be known by name. I disappeared a long time ago, and names have power. I learned it the hard way through Nobunaga."
"Yukimura-sama! We should get down and wait for Yuya-san shouldn't we?" asked Sakuya.
Though marginally, Yukimura detected the slight widening of the hag's eyes. "Yes, let's go. The castle is quite complicated, so I'll go on ahead, you can follow." And he took off.
It took some time but they eventually did make it out without mishaps. As they sequestered themselves behind a cluster of trees on the outside of the moat, Yukimura began questioning the woman.
"What are you called by?"
She hesitated as though thinking of her name, "You may call me Kira."
"How long have you been with Nobunaga?"
She shook her head. "Yukimura-sama, leave her alone. She can do no harm to us."
Yukimura swung towards Sakuya, "Can you vouch for that?" He advanced, "Can you be her guarantor that should anything go wrong because of her, you will take the blame?"
Sakuya, normally a meek person, faced Yukimura now her eyes blazing in the body of a rabbit. "Yes I can!"
Kyoshiro stood behind her trying to get her to back down but it was in vain. Yukimura conceded in the end.
Their progress was so much faster now that their aim was achieved. The mismatched band was no longer worried about being found out. They hurried through the corridors. For all her haggard and bent appearance, the crone seemed not to be slowed one whit. And then, they were out in the night air. But it was just their bad luck that they would come out to the exit and find absolutely no bridge or way across.
Yukimura cursed. Only he would be able to get across. It was too dangerous for the others to brave the moat and the creatures that called it home. He was loath to leave his companions; he had a responsibility.
"Wood. Get me wood," the old woman rasped out. He whirled on her, "What good would that do, woman? We have no bridge, and you want to make a fire!" She cringed back at his reprimand, then drew herself up to her full hunchbacked height, "If you have any wish to escape here alive and well, Lord Yukimura, and if that sentiment extends to your companions, you will bring me some wood!"
He was just about to squawk back a retort when Sakuya said to him, "Yukimura-sama, just do as she asks. It could not be much worse that it already is." He puffed his feathers angrily, but took off anyway. All of them gathered wood and laid it at her feet. Then Yukimura witnessed the most amazing thing.
The woman bent down and picked a stick and with just a wave she managed to make a wobbly bridge going across the moat. More than once, the old woman almost fell in, but Kyoshiro and Sakuya made sure she didn't. Meanwhile Yukimura waited for them on the other bank.
The old woman hopped off and went to sit under a tree, but Yukimura stopped her. "We have to go further into the forest. If Nobunaga comes back and finds you missing, this will be the first place he looks."
The old woman snorted, "Nobunaga hasn't realized that I still live. I think he gave up about 2 years ago."
They walked about ten meters in and finally Yukimura declared the site suitable. Kira fell onto her rear, cradled by some tree roots. She stretched out her feet in front of her and that was accompanied by a symphony of creaking bones. Kira sighed. "Kira-san. Do you need anything?" questioned the little bunny.
Giving a wry smile the geriatric woman said, "Nothing except for Yukimura-sama to stop glaring at me."
The bunny and the otter glanced at each other, "Ne, Kira-san. We only mentioned Yukimura-sama's name a couple of times. How did you know it?"
'Damn!'
"I… er… have a good memory." Thank goodness the animals accepted this, because she wouldn't have been able to explain to them how she knew the Sanada heir.
"Sakuya-san, why is Yukimura-sama here?"
"Hmm," the rabbit's nose twitched. "I don't rightly know, but I believe it has something to do with this woman he fell in love with. I think she turned him down and he had to do something to prove himself to her but he ended up here instead."
"Oh! That's really sad…" her voice laden with feelings.
"Yes! I know! I wouldn't know what to do is Kyoshiro-san left me now!"
"Enough!" The leaves of one tree rustled, "Get some rest. Yuya will need is if anything goes wrong."
Everyone got comfortable and Kyoshiro and Sakuya were aslees in minutes.
Yukimura fluttered to the ground, "You know magic."
Kira inclined her head. "How did you learn?"
"I have been cooped up in Nobunaga's dungeon for years. He made me do so many things for him. One of them was preparing potions that were of small importance. As time went by, I found I could do conjuring. He doesn't know it of course."
"If I asked you to conjure an image… could you?"
"I would need a bowl and water."
"Stay here." Within minutes Yukimura returned with a small bowl and water.
Kira placed the bowl in her lap, "Who am I scrying for?"
"The person who holds my heart." Kira didn't move for a moment, "This might take a little longer. Usually I would ask for a name."
Patiently she gazed into the bowl. Slowly ripples began to disturb the surface of the water. When they subsided however, Kira saw only her reflection in the water.
"Yukimura-sama, I'm sorry. I could not find her."
"What? What does that mean? Is she…"
Kira turned her head away, "I'm sorry."
His hurt clouded the air. Slowly he backed up and ascended his tree. While on the ground a lone tear caressed Kira's cheek for the girl who would never know Yukimura's love.
AN: Okay guys, I'm just so sorry! I've been really busy, what with coming so close to failing my exams n all. This isn't the best chapter I've written so far. But please bear with me. and my faithful readers who have been with me from the start, I wouldn't blame you if you are entertaining thoughts of me on a wooden stake.