He turned around and walked towards her. "Then do something about it. Give food to those that are starving, gold to the poor. do anything than run away." He picked up her chin just as laughter started and men came out of the shadows. The biggest of them walking forward and laughing the hardest. "Look boys, a lovers quarrel."
Chapter 2:Yumi pulled away and looked at the men. 'great just what I need' she thought. Ulrich looked at the bandit leader. "We don't want any trouble."
"We don't want any trouble" the bandit mocked "well too bad, cause you sees wes wants trouble" Yumi clenched her fists and glared at the men. Ulrich pulled out his blade and the leader laughed again. "A reverse blade, are you kidding me?" he stepped forward and pulled a huge blade "now this is a sword." he cut a tree and it fell. Yumi reached for her katana to find it gone "oh right..." she soon remembered Ulrich knocking the sword out of her hand. Ulrich pulls out a katana and tosses it to Yumi. "You leave me no choice then bandit." He ran up to him and said "triplicate". Yumi watched in awe as it looked as though he split into three people "wow..." one of the men went after her but she jumped up and sliced him across the throat. She landed and picked up a flat rock throwing it like a discus at one of the other men hitting him in the stomach.
The three Ulrichs attacked as one, hitting the leader on all sides. One of the men ran to the leader to help, only to get knocked out by a blade hit to the temple. The bandit swung his blade but to no avail as the three retreated and attacked again with 'Triangulate'. One of the men picked Yumi up by her throat and she clawed at his hand with almost no avail. Her vision began to fade and she couldn't breathe. She brought her foot up and kicked the man in the groin but found there was something blocking her blow. She tried his stomach but there was a form of armor there as well. Her arms fell limp and the man threw her against a tree knocking her out. "YUMI!" Ulrich cried and then the demon within him came out and no one could stop him. He twisted the sword and started to kill every man in the area. One of the men started to back up. This was the same man who had attacked Yumi "please... have mercy" he said. In a voice not of Ulrichs, he answered "Sorry...no mercy" and as he lifted the blade, the demon was put back into the depths of Ulrich mind, and Ulrich fell to the ground. The man ran off "you're crazy man!"
Ulrich lay on the ground, passed out by the experience. Yumi still lay unconscious from being thrown into a tree.
Hours later, Ulrich regained conciseness and crawled over to Yumi. He shook her "Hey are you ok?" She didn't move. He checked her over and saw that she had a nasty bump on her head and a cut from where she was hit. He picked her up and super sprinted away, deeper into the forest.
Someone was watching their every move from the trees above. Her long pink hair blowing in the breeze "I must alert the emperor" she said and darted back over the wall and ran into the palace passing one of the imperial scholars "Aelita, where are you headed so fast?" She stopped, "something has happened... the princess has been kidnapped" The blond pushed his glasses up and nodded, "I'll alert the emperor right away" he darted off toward the throne room "your excellency! I have news!"
Ulrich sped off into the night, looking for a place where they could rest and he could care for Yumi's injuries. Soon he found a glen where a stream of cool mountain water flowed. He laid her down and prepared a fire. As the flames burned low, he made a salve and cut some bandages. he walked over to her and started to clean the cut and bandage it up. when he was done, he covered her with his blanket and rested her head on his pack.
Yumi came to several hours later and blinked to clear her vision. She saw the fire and a blanket and slowly sat up and looked around. Ulrich lay close to the fire, fast asleep. His soft snores the only clue that he was ok. Yumi lay back down and smiled closing her eyes.
As the sun rose above the mountains, Ulrich slowly opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. then he saw Yumi and remembered what happened yesterday. "I thought it was all a dream" he thought. The sunlight hit Yumi's face waking her up. She sat up and stretched and then looked over at Ulrich and then down at the blanket and pack. She felt her head and winced remembering slamming into that tree.
"Morning" he smiled
"Morning..." she said quietly. She felt the bruises on her neck and winced as she touched them. 'how am I still alive from that?' she thought and then smiled "thank you..." she said. "Don't get up and move around for a while, you took a nasty bump" he got up and checked her wounds, applying the salve and putting on clean bandages. He picked up the pack and took out some privations and made breakfast. "I'm sorry about last night... I should have just gone back..." Yumi said. Ulrich looked at her with his deeply piercing eyes, then back at the fire as he made the embers blaze up. He studied the fire for a while before warming the water for tea. Yumi looked down and sighed. "I would go back now but... I have no idea where I am"
"We are twenty miles from your castle, on the other side of the valley." When the tea was ready, he handed her a plate of bread, cheese, jerky, berries and a hot cup of green tea. "this should help with the headache" he said as he gave her the tea. He smiled a little before taking a piece of bread and walked over to the stream.
Yumi held the cup and just stared into the liquid before taking a small sip. She looked toward him and sighed then took another sip and looked at the food. "After all I put him through... he's still so kind to me..." she thinks to herself.
Ulrich sat down by the river, thinking about what to do next. 'the best thing to do is to take her home, but with what happened last night and with what she truly wants, I guess I should bring her along for a while.' he nibbled on the bread and watched a bird fly above them. 'that's what ill do, and then as she gets a taste of what life is like, I can take her home and she can rule with a better knowledge of what the world is like.'
Yumi remembered the dream she had last night and turned bright red 'no way... no way in hell' she shook her head and then put a hand to her lips 'there is no way I can ever like Jeremie... he's too... I dunno... and Aelita's in love with him..." she sighed and took another sip of the tea. She looked up at the sky and smiled remembering the moment before the bandits showed up. She touched her chin and shook her head "what is wrong with me today?" she sighed and finished the tea.
As Ulrich finished his bread, he splashed water on his face and then turned around and settled down next to a log. He watched and listened to the woods and pulled out a bow and a quiver of arrows. Yumi stared up at a nest in a tree "I wonder what kind of bird built that" she said slightly out loud. Ulrich looked up at the nest and back at her and smiled "Either a jay or robin, if you keep an eye on it, you might find out." He crept into the woods, and started to hunt for tonight's meal. "And I hope you like rabbit" he said as he went deeper in.
Yumi simply rolled her eyes and lay back staring at the nest "maybe..." She started to sing a soft song that she was taught as a child.
Ulrich stalked his prey, and arrow notched and ready, making very little movement. he breathed softly in as he pulled back and out as he let it fly towards his target
Yumi stopped singing and saw a black and white oriole land in the nest "so it's an oriole... and she's very pretty" she smiled and watched the mother bird feed a couple of babies but one falls out of the nest. Yumi jumped up and dove catching the baby before it hit the ground "you poor thing... its okay... I'll take care of you" She picked up a piece of bread and the canteen she had around her waist. she poured the water on the bread and smashed it up so that the baby bird could eat. She took little pieces with a leaf and fed the bird. "poor thing..." Yumi smiled and fed the bird more. It had a ton of feathers so it wasn't a newly hatched which meant it would be able to fly sometime soon. She talked to the bird as she fed it and smiled as it chirped as if it were replying.
Ulrich walked back just in time to watch. He smiled and continued towards the stream where he started to prepare the rabbit. When he was finished, he took the bad pieces and walked down the stream for about twenty minutes so the wild animals wouldn't come so close to the camp. As he got back, he saw something-pink flash toward the camp. He super sprinted towards the camp. "We have company Yumi." He unsheathed the sword and waited. Yumi stood cupping her hand over the bird "I think I may know..." she looked up in the trees. As Ulrich looked up, a woman with pink hair dropped down in-between the two and went into a fighting stance. "Stay behind me Lady Yumi. Ill have you home soon."
"Aelita... its okay don't worry... this is of my own free will" Yumi said stepping in front of Aelita.
Ulrich sheathed his blade and sat down as Yumi explained what happened and then he said "I'm also going to have her travel with me, so she may see what its truly like in her kingdom and the lands around." A young man stepped out of the woods, his blond hair and glasses covered in leaves and twigs. "seems like a good idea, as long as we're with her Aelita." He said pulling the twigs out of his hair and cleaning his glasses. "I'm coming too" a familiar blond boy ran out of the woods behind Jeremie with a dog trailing him. Ulrich looked at the boy. "Odd! what are you doing here." He smiled as he took his hand. Odd smiled "following you I guess... I have nowhere else to go..." Ulrich laughed. "Well aren't we a merry band." He looked around at the other four. "I believe introductions are in order. My name is Ulrich." Odd spoke next. "Odd the incredible, at your service." he took a bow and fell over. They all laughed including him. Aelita bowed "Aelita Hopper... guardian of the princess" Jeremie cleaned off his glasses "I'm Jeremie Belpois... a scholar for the royal family"
"And I'm guessing you all know me" Yumi said with a sigh and sat back down and started to feed the bird again. Ulrich looked at the others. "So why are you all out here? and yes I know your reason Mr. Incredible." he said as Odd opened his mouth. Aelita looked down "I was under the impression you were trying to kidnap the princess"
A/N Chapter 2 is completed ^^ On to Chapter 3. There's going to be a great surprise in it ^^ If I get enough reviews I'll post chapter 3 real soon
-LoVe-N-HaPpInEsS-