Chapter 2

"Pacha!" Kuzco cried, pounding on the door. "Pacha, open up!"

The door was pulled open, and Kuzco practically fell inside, and was caught by Pacha's wide girth. "Kuzco? What's wrong?" he asked, looking both surprised and concerned.

"What's wrong," the emperor said, putting his hands on his head, "is that Malina and Iniabi are sick!"

"Sick?" Pacha repeated. "Wh-Wait, who's Iniabi?"

"My son," Kuzco said, suddenly assuming a proud and smirking expression. "He was just born yesterday, and he's almost as beautiful as me-and he's sick!" he gasped as though just remembering. He swooned on his feet, and Pacha caught him.

By this time the rest of Pacha's family had been drawn by the commotion.

"What's going on?" asked Chicha, seeing at Kuzco's dazed and exhausted eyes.

"Kids, why don't you go on and play?" Pacha suggested.

Chaca, Tipo, and Yupi all groaned in disappointment, but recognized that their adopted uncle was in bad shape. They all scurried off down the hill to find the other children in the village, Chaca scooping up the toddling Yupi.

"Help me get him inside," Pacha grunted, and Chicha grabbed Kuzco's free arm. He moaned woozily as he was deposited gently on a kitchen chair.

"Kuzco," Pacha said, shaking him gently to rouse him. "Tell me what happened."

"Well," Kuzco said, sitting up and looking hysterical. "Malina, my wife, the empress, the most beautiful woman in-"

"Kuzco!"

"Huh? Oh, uh, well Malina gave birth yesterday. His name is Iniabi, and he's beautiful. But they're not going to make it," Kuzco said numbly.

"What?!" Pacha and Chicha gasped.

"Oh, honey," Chicha said, putting a hand on the young man's shoulder.

Pacha looked close to tears. "Isn't there anything you can do?" he asked. "Medicine?"

Kuzco shrugged. "I don't really know. So, I was thinking, until they...leave, that I could stay in Kuzcotopia next door."

"What?" Pacha said. "You can't! You, you have to go back and, and spend time with them! They need you, Kuzco!"

He turned his head sadly. "I can't just sit and watch them suffer, Pacha."

The couple exchanged a look over the emperor's head.

Then Chicha lifted Kuzco's chin so that he looked her in the eyes. "Tell you what," she said gently. "You and Pacha go down to the village healer and ask about what can be done. Just tell her the symptoms Malina and Iniabi have, and she should be able to brew up a little something, okay?"

"Really?" Kuzco brightened a little.

She nodded and then turned to Pacha, who also nodded.

"Okay," he said, standing and clapping his hands. "Better get a move on then, huh?"

The emperor stood as well, smiling a little. "Let's go!"

The village healer was a very old woman who lived at the center of the hill. Her house was very small, and an ever present line of smoke drifted from a hole in the ceiling. She never came out, so no one except her visitors really knew what she looked like, and even then it was usually dark inside. It smelled strongly of herbs and bread, but Kuzco seemed to not care at the moment, which only went to show how dire his situation was.

"Healer peasant!" he cried upon entry.

Pacha entered after him with an apologetic expression. "He didn't mean that, Iakona. He's just really very distraught."

The ancient woman, without opening her eyes, bid them sit with her.

Kuzco jumped directly into his plight. "My wife and baby are sick, so we need you to make a cure quickly! Immediately! Right now!" When she didn't react he quickly added, "Please."

"What sickness?" her cracked voice asked.

"Well, they're both very pale and weak, and they're coughing," Kuzco said. "You can fix that, right?"

"I'll need more than that, young emperor."

"Sweaty," he offered.

"And?"

Kuzco balked under her gaze. She had piercing, unnatural blue eyes. "It sounds to me that their sickness is not so severe as you think, young man."

"They're going to die!" he exclaimed almost angrily.

For a long moment Iakona looked at Kuzco. Both he and Pacha shifted uncomfortably. Then the old woman sighed. "I suppose I can help," she said at last.

Kuzco and Pacha breathed deeply.

"Thank you," Kuzco said. "Can you make the cure now?"

"No."

The men's faces fell.

She continued, "I do not have the herbs I need to make the medicine. If you want the cure, you must go out and get them for me."

The emperor leapt to his feet. "Where are they?"

"Deep in the jungle," she replied. "The only place they grow."

Kuzco frowned. "I will get them, but you have to tell me an exact location, and I want you to meet me at the palace. That way we can save time."

"You'd best move quickly, then," Iakona replied nonchalantly. "Here is a map I made long ago. The paracress plants should still grow here. This," she held up a drawing on another sheet of paper, "is what it looks like. Bring me this, and then I can make the cure."

Kuzco took both and nodded seriously.

"Okay," he said as he stepped out into the sunlight, followed by Pacha. "We're here, so I have to follow this path to...here." He slapped the old parchment with his finger and then rolled it up. "See you later, pal. I've got a serious errand to run."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Pacha said, putting himself in front of the young man. "You can't just leave unprepared like that! When's the last time you've eaten, anyway?"

"Yesterday," Kuzco replied promptly. "But it's not important since I'm not hungry. Move out of the way, I've got to go get this paracress thingy."

"Kuzco, listen," Pacha said, holding up his hands. "You don't want to go out there alone and with nothing but the clothes on your back. Come back to my place, and we'll pack some things."

"Uh, we?" Kuzco raised an eyebrow. "Last I checked, this was my problem, not yours."

It was Pacha's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You're the one who came to me."

"You're the one who invited me."

"Well, now I'm inviting you again. Come to my house on the hill, and we can eat and get ready to leave."

"Well, now I'm politely declining your offer," Kuzco said. Before Pacha could reply, Kuzco held up a hand for silence. "Listen, Pacha, I'd love to stand here and talk all day, but my wife and baby need me. So...later." Kuzco set off again without looking back, tucking the map and drawing into his belt.

"Hey, Kuzco!" called a jovial voice.

The emperor stopped in his tracks and looked to see Kronk and his wife headed in his direction.

Uh, just for clarification. There are those of you who might not have seen Kronk's New Groove (which yours truly directed), but long story short, Kronk went on a camping trip with his squirrel scouts and had a hate slash love relationship with a rival troop leader named Birdwell and in the end they got married and had a happily ever after, annnnd back to me!

"I didn't know you were coming for a visit," Kronk laughed. He and Birdwell hoisted their delivery bags on their shoulders. "Last I heard your wife was, uh, in labor. I figured you'd, uh, be by her." He shrugged.

"Oh, Kronky-poo," cooed Birdwell lovingly, "you have such a way with words."

"Yeah," he chuckled. "Guess I do."

"Hey, Kronk," Kuzco greeted unenthusiastically. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have something important to do."

"Oh, you mean like get back to your wife, who's in labor, having your child," Kronk said, winking at him. "Right."

"No," Pacha interrupted. "Kuzco's wife and baby are sick, and he's about to go out alone into the jungle for a rare medicinal herb that will make the cure."

Kronk and Birdwell gasped in horror.

"Sick?" Birdwell repeated.

"Alone?" Kronk asked.

Kuzco took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, but instead of retorting sarcastically as he normally would, he simply walked on, leaving his friends behind.

A/N: I just realized how unpopular Kuzco is on this site. That's ridiculous! Kuzco is the most fabulous Disney princess by far. Show him your love! Spread his name! Gah!

Anyway, thanks for reading. :) Hope it's not terrible.