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A Grown-up Bedtime Story	By : acsoundwave Category: zMisplaced Stories [ADMIN use only] > YuYu Views: 1376 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own this anime/manga, nor the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1
- 2
- 3
A Grown-up Bedtime Story

byline:
Anubis Soundwave

One:
The Prisoner of Saiba, and the legendary Man in the Iron Giant.

“Please....
I know nothing.” A handsome, dark-eyed man in a strange black
suit eyes Damien with a look mixed between revulsion and horror.
“Wasn’t she enough for you?”

“Don’t
annoy me, now; Roger. You say that you’re a citizen of Paradigm
City, but you don’t know what you do there?” muses Damien
whimsically as three of his men continued violating Angel.

Shizuru
winces, herself chained to the headboard in Damien’s bedroom as
the lord’s interrogation continues.

“My
lord,” one of the soldiers laughs callously, “the little
whore passed out.”

Damien
sighs. “Take her back in the dungeon with the other fools,
then.”

He
turns to Shizuru. “They can never be as sweet as a princess,”
grins Damien crudely, touching Shizuru’s chin.

Scowling,
Shizuru flinches at his touch.

“I
have to admit; the little fey was nice to force,” Damien
continues, “yet the princess here keeps resisting me, young
Smith--no matter the many times I’ve taken her over the years.

“It’d
be almost ten years since I first besieged the Kuwabara Kingdom. Ten
years of war and slaughter, since I first tore into Shizuru’s
unready flesh.”

“You’re
a sick bastard.” spits Roger. “And an obvious sadist.”

Damien
laughs. “And yet only a sophisticate cultured by the
tetsu-oh--Lord Tetsuwan Atomu and Lord Tetsujin
Nijuuyatsu--can understand matters such as sadism.”

“A
society lost to time, long ago. Paradigm City was built on its
ruins.”

“A
society with advanced technology...that will permit me to put an end
to the princess’ idiot of a brother once and for all. Then I
can attain my rightful place as ruler of all the lands, and fair
Shizuru shall serve beneath me as my queen.”

-
- - - -

“...you
survived another round, Smith?” Jet smiles at Roger, who smiles
back wanly.

“Don’t
be so surprised.” Spike rolls a bit of tobacco in old
parchment. “We all get used to Damien’s methods after a
while.”

“Used
to it?” hisses Zorou. “If the Captain were here, he’d
be--*”

“Our
captain,” counters Sanji tonelessly, “was the first of us
to die, when we landed on this megami-forsaken rock.”

“None
of us would have been here if that set of mercenaries,” Zorou
continues, glaring at Spike and Jet, “had had only sense enough
to let us alone.”

Gene
quirked a bushy dark-auburn brow. “Fine talk from a pirate.”

“Stow
your tongue, Starwind--you’re scarce better than we,”
smirks Sanji.

“Roger.”
The metal clockwork doll, Dorothy, touches the smith’s
shoulder. “Usually Shizuru has returned from her meetings with
Damien. Is there any cause for delay?”

Sakyo
laughs. “She won’t be down here with us tonight.”

“What
do you mean by--*?” Roger hears keys rattling. “Dottie,”
he hisses, “hide.”

Dorothy
obeys, and the prisoners quickly adopt miserable expressions as the
guards open the door.

-
- - - -

Roger
climbs out of the rubble, amazingly still alive.

“...Angel....
Spike.... Jet....

“Constable
Dastun...you damned fool...! What made you think you could trust his
word, that you would sell our peaceful city to...to--*” Roger
breaks off his rambling, noting a wisp of red hair under the rubble.

The
young blacksmith claws furiously at the rocks. “Dottie...?
Dottie--tell me you’re still with me! Old Waynewright made you,
so you’re stronger than that bastard; I know you are.

“I
know you...are....” Roger stands, mute.

Half
of Dorothy was crushed under a massive block of granite. What was
left, was broken. Springs, cogs, and gears exposed.

“...Dottie....”
Roger trembles, struggling to contain his rage and anguish. He leaves
in silence.

-
- - - -

Two:
The family caught in the crossfire.

A
young peasant lad in a coolie hat sits under a crabapple tree,
reading a tome.

Another
boy taps him on the shoulder. “Father wants us to help load the
cart, so we can take our harvest to the marketplace.

“And
you remember what ani did the last time you had your nose in a
book, Noa.”

“Yes,
Mokuba, I do.” Noa scowls. “Seto-ani fails to
realize that we’re on two different paths to the same goal.

“If
I can become a scholar in a royal court, we’ll all be out of
this place.”

“At
least it’s a sensible plan, one that makes sense to father.
Still, Seto has a point: you can’t use that as an excuse to
stop pulling your weight with chores.” Mokuba folds his arms.

Noa
sighs, setting his book down. “...very well. I don’t want
to disappoint father.”

-
- - - -

Seto,
a tall, slim young man, thumbs through Noa’s carefully-placed
tome.

“More
rubbish. I see the use of reading, but another spell book?” The
handsome peasant unceremoniously drops the book.

“Hn.
You won’t burn that one?” muses his elder brother, Hiei.

“What’s
the point? He’ll just toil in the nobles’ fields until he
earns enough to buy another.

“Father
will be pleased to see you back so early. How was the hunting?”

“Far
better than before. Don’t be so skeptical of sorcery, child. It
has its uses.” Hiei smiles cryptically, handing Seto a book.

Seto
looks at it. “This is the same book I burnt! Have you spoken to
some sorcerer on your travels?”

“Not
quite,” says Hiei. “I took it from him.”

The
youth’s blue eyes widen in anger and horror. “Give. It.
Back.”

“Father
need not know of this,” scoffs Hiei.

“No.
I have my differences with father, but I don’t bear him enough
ill-will for that. You know he despises thieves.”

“I’m
not giving the book back. Had you not burned it in the first place, I
wouldn’t have needed to go to the trouble of finding it.

“And
the only reason I did so is because you obviously had a change of
heart.”

“It’s
obvious that father favors Noa over the rest of us. Only after he
showed an interest in books did he even consider leaving this hovel.”

“Noa
reminds him of...a lost memory. But you are the son he relies on to
set the standard for manhood.”

“Only
because you were too fast for his ear boxing.”

“And
because I bring game to the house to sustain you all; and furs to
keep you warm in winter. That’s more than enough.”

“I
could join you in the hunt!”

“For
food...or dragons, Seto?” Hiei scowls.

Seto
glares. “Am I wrong for wanting more than what we have?

“You’ve
seen the Heart, ani. I wouldn’t lie.”

“I
believe you, and I think father believes you. But there simply isn’t
a market for dragon slayers. Too many of them die, either because of
the dragon...or because of treachery from nobles who don’t want
their daughters marrying peasants.”

“I’m
not particularly interested in the girl.” Seto blushes,
thinking of a pretty sacrificial maiden he’d rescued from the
maw of three dragons.

“Oh;
as though you don’t want to have your way with a lord’s
daughter.”

“It’s
the reward I really want, you idiot. If I slay the other three
dragons, and take their Hearts to Lord Damien; we can leave this
place, move to a peaceful village...and want for naught.”

“Then
you’ll actually need this book. It has information on dragons.”
Hiei grins crudely.

“...curse
you....” Seto digs for a coin. “Take this to that
sorcerer, and pay him for his book. I won’t have wizards
cursing us for common thievery.”

“That’s
your last gold piece.”

“I
know.”

“No,
Hiei-ani.” Noa hands Hiei a gold piece. “Take
mine.”

“But
you found a text on--*” Seto tries to finish, but Noa raises a
hand.

“I
understand, Seto-ani. It’s not my last coin. It’s
the one you gave me to replace my old book.” Noa smiles gently.
“I found it in my other book by the tree.”

Seto
looks away, scowling. Mokuba comes up to the other three.

Hiei
removes his traveling cloak. “Open our book then, Noa. I want
to see what it says about this.” The short, red-eyed man
displays his newly-tattooed arm.

“It’s
a black dragon,” says Mokuba.

Noa
pages through the book, finding the right page. “No ordinary
dragon tattoo. That’s the mark of the ankoku-ryuu; a
dragon made entirely of darkness and fire.

“Considering
your name, Hiei, it suits you.”

“I
thought so as well, so I trained at a demon’s temple to earn
it.” Hiei strokes his dragon mark. “I’m still
learning the secrets of the mark, but what I’ve learned so far
would frighten the lot of you.”

“You
know that I’m fearless,” counters Seto.

“Wait,
I forgot. Seto’s the fool of the family.

“And
a fool and his money,” Hiei continues, tossing the gold coin as
he sprints away, “are soon parted.”

Seto
scowls amid the stifled laughs of his younger brothers. “Are
you two done helping father?” he asks after a moment.

The
boys nod. Seto turns, beckoning Noa and Mokuba to return to the hut.

-
- - - -

“We’re
close to our brother’s killer.” Mai tosses her shimmering
blonde hair.

“Honda
will be glad to hear of this,” grins Otogi. “He never
liked this business. Took ani’s death the hardest.”

-
- - - -

“I’ll
rip him apart. When we lay hold of the one who killed our brother,
Jounouchi,” continues Honda, a brown-haired youth, “I’ll
personally rend the whelp asunder; limb from limb.”

“Honda.”
A caretaker kneels before Honda and Jounouchi, a blond ninja. “Your
siblings send word. Meet them at the forest between the two
kingdoms.”

“That
means....” Jounouchi trails off as he notes Honda’s smile
of dark triumph.

“They’ve
found the miserable bastard. Justice will be swift.

“Sugoroku-ani...will
be avenged!” Honda ascends to the sky as his roar echoes
through the meadow.

Jounouchi
shakes his head. “...idiot....”

-
- - - -

“So
the crux of the matter is that Otogi, Mai, and Honda have found
Sugoroku’s killer?” asks Lady Mazaki.

“Yes.
If I knew who it was, my lady,” says Jounouchi, “I’d
go warn the fool.”

“I
can think of only one person stubborn enough to pick a fight with
Ryuukotsutei’s children.”

“That
ass of a peasant? If what you said about him is true, then I forget
my plans to warn him. He merits death.”

“No.
I vowed that I’d marry him, and unlike most nobles I keep my
word.

“I
know firsthand that he’s a boor--but he saved me from the three
gods. If I choose to spend my life with him, what is that to you?”

“I’m
your friend, Lady Mazaki. I want you to be happy.”

“Then
let me go. I can do worse by staying in this gilded cage with Lord
Damien. At least until he finds another god to feed me too.”

“It
doesn’t hurt that the lout is fine to look upon--going by your
own word, my lady.”

Mazaki
scowls at the ninja, blushing. “Be silent, Jounouchi.”

“Go
and save the boy,” trembles the old caretaker, Mutou Sugoroku.
“The master’s spirit couldn’t rest knowing that his
younger siblings killed a human. He would never have wanted this....”

Jounouchi
sighs. “I know, old man.”

“Then
we shall go and save him. The guards back at Saiba Castle are too
busy repairing the damage from Kuwabara’s bombing raid.”
Mazaki changes clothes, disguising herself as a ninja.

“That
damned Kuwabara! Doesn’t he realize that all of Saiba’s
subjects are hostages, too?” shudders Jounouchi.

“Such
is the nature of war, lad,” says Sugoroku sadly. “The
dungeons took the brunt of the assault.”

-
- - - -

Three:
When the crown hangs heavy on children....

“Hagiri,
report.” Kazuma folds his arms.

Hagiri
lowers his head. “I blended in with Saiba’s guards, to
survey the damage. We were only an incomplete success.”

“Incomplete?”

“Yes,
your Highness. We placed the dynamite as we discussed, my lord.
Unfortunately, all we managed to do was execute Damien’s
prisoners for him.”

Kazuma
seethes. “Bastard.... Remains?”

“I...didn’t
find a trace of the princess’ body among the dead.”

“...I
see.” Kazuma abruptly leaves the war hall, going into the
courtyard.

-
- - - -

“He
still has her.”

“Kazuma-ouji....”
Minamino studies his charge.

“He...still...has
her!” Kazuma’s reiken extends and slices the
nearest large tree down.

“You
must remain calm,” says the crimson-haired youth.

Kazuma
scoffs at this. “That’s what Mitarai would say. I want
him to come out and face me.

“Do
you hear me? Come out, Mitarai!”

“Your
Highness, what is--*” Mitarai receives a punch to the face from
Kazuma.

“Deceiver.”

“What...what
are you...?” Mitarai looks into his prince’s eyes.
“Oh...oh, no....”

“You....
You knew all along; that my sister was in his clutches. That’s
why Damien moved the prisoners into that dungeon--to die, while
he...while he....”

“My
prince, I....”

“Silence!
You are my adviser! You’re not supposed to lie to me!”

Mitarai
finds his voice. “Your Highness, I did what was best for the
kingdom. I did state that the princess’ was in all likelihood
dead, and I was mistaken to say so. Yet I did so because I honestly
believed that she’d be in the dungeon with the other prisoners.
She was prepared to die.”

“Hagiri
and I will also vouch for this,” continues Minamino. “The
three of us personally saw her in the dungeon with the other
prisoners an hour before our attack.”

“Now
this, I believe to be true at the outset. See how much better the
truth is, Mitarai? Shizuru was prepared to die--at my own
hand--rather than endure another moment with Damien.

“But
the bastard denied her even that!”

“I
acted on behalf of the kingdom and its people!”

“To
hell with the kingdom! To hell with its people!”

“You...you
don’t mean that.” Mitarai holds the tall prince’s
shoulders.

“Remove
your hands from me, Mitarai, or I shall kill you.”

Mitarai
obeys. “Your Highness....”

“I...am
not...a fool! Don’t you realize what you’ve done!?”
screamed Kazuma. “We could have saved my sister years ago!”

“With
what!? It’s only in this past year that we’ve even
amassed an army since your father and mother--since all our
parents--died. You’re acting like a child!”

“A...child?
You damned idiot. Do any of us even know how a child acts anymore?”

“Of
course not, my...prince....” Mitarai begins to sob. “We’ve
tried, and tried to rule this kingdom; to not let our subjects know
that the palace affairs are being run by children and a fallen
tenshi!”

Kazuma
weeps, unable to suppress his tears.

Sergeant
Tenoh taps the prince’s shoulder. “Your Highness, enough.
None of this changes the facts on the ground.

“No
one wants vengeance against Damien and the Saiba Kingdom more than
me. Not even you.”

Kazuma
glares at his lady sergeant. “I am not the boy you trained
anymore.

“I
wish to serve notice; on you, on Mitarai, on Minamino, and all the
others: while you may advise me, you cannot act for me. My decisions
are mine alone. As the sovereign of this kingdom, it is my duty to
act on behalf of its subjects; therefore, I alone may decide what’s
best for it.

“Leave
me.”

-
- - - -

“Aneue....”
Having stolen into Lord Damien’s bedchamber, Kazuma grips
Shizuru’s hand gently. “Wake up.”

Shizuru
opens her eyes slowly, noting the tears brimming in her brother’s
eyes. “...you must leave.”

“No.
I came to free you.”

“There’s
no point in freeing me if our kingdom is still under siege. You know
that.”

“I
won’t leave you with that monster one moment more.”

“The
people will consider me compromised.”

“We’re
a monarchy. They’ll learn to accept my choices and move on.”
Kazuma opens a wardrobe, looking for a robe for his sister.

“Kazuma.
If you die, the Kuwabara monarchy is ended. Damien wins.”

“I’m
the crown prince; I can change the damned edict if I so choose. We’re
leaving.”

“...it
sounds as though my Shizuru’s stirring....” Damien’s
voice can be heard from outside.

Shizuru
pushes away the robes. “Get out, Kazuma.”

“Not
without--Shinobu!? Unhand me!” Kazuma struggles against the
tenshi’s strong embrace. “I won’t leave her!
I won’t leave her to him!”

“This
is fruitless, my prince. You know what must be done.”

“...let...me...go!
Let go!”

“Hmm...I
need more assistance. Time to call in a favor....”

Another
tenshi appears. “For this, Shin-chan? Don’t
waste your favor.”

“Ah;
Wuukong Son Goku; the oh-zaru archangel of Yasai Temple. Would
you?”

“Of
course. Shizuru, it’ll only take a second for me to....”

“No...just
save my brother.”

Wuukong
glares briefly as he makes himself, Shinobu and the angry prince
invisible. Damien enters the room, and disrobes.

“Let
me save her!” cries Kazuma. “You must let me save--*”

The
archangel, using one arm to restrain Kazuma, teleports away with the
prince and Shinobu.

-
- - - -

The
three reappear before Rapunzel’s tower.

“Damn
you, Shinobu! Why!? Why did you do this?”

Kazuma
begins to strike Shinobu’s chest, but the youth’s fist
strikes Wuukong’s instead.

“Take
out your anger on me. I can sustain it.”

“Why
didn’t you save her from that ghoul!? What use are you if you
don’t help the innocent!?”

“I
just thought it might be of some comfort to your sister if a man
actually respected her wishes,” answers Wuukong, “no
matter what they may be.”

Kazuma’s
eyes widen. “That...was not her wish!”

“We’ll
save her, in time,” says Shinobu. “For now, you must
secure the royal bloodline.”

“As
if I wish to draw Rapunzel-san into this madness. I’d be a foul
sort of friend to do so.

“I
will return to the palace, and prepare to launch a full-scale attack
on the Saiba Kingdom at dawn. I will burden Rapunzel-san no more.”

Rapunzel
wakes up, hearing Kazuma’s distressed voice. “Kazuma-san?”
she asks, sticking her head out the window. “You seem unwell.”

Kazuma
sighs, looking at the beauty through tear-streaked eyes. “I
fear, Rapunzel-san, that I can no longer see you--*”

“Until
the morrow,” grins Shinobu, clamping a hand over the prince’s
mouth. “That’s what he wanted to say.”

Wuukong
gapes at Shinobu in shock.

The
two tenshi and Kazuma fly away. Rapunzel, perplexed, returns
to bed.

-
- - - -

“You
lied!”

“I
don’t believe I did, Wuukong-senpai.”

“Yes,
you did. You...lied! Right in front of me! How can you expect to
return to tokoyonokuni now!?” Wuukong frets.

Shinobu
smiles softly. “I merely spoke in faith.”

“The
prince was saying that he won’t see her ever again, and you
know it. You can’t lie,” counters Wuukong. “And I
can’t lie about you lying.”

“Then
don’t say anything. The prince will see Rapunzel tomorrow.”

“No,
I won’t!” spits Kazuma. “You heard me before--I
have a battle to oversee tomorrow.”

“But
you want to see her.”

“Don’t
think for me--I can do that myself.”

“But
you don’t know what Rapunzel wants for herself,”
continues Shinobu calmly.

“Rapunzel-san
is safe in that tower. She can live a peaceful life there. It’s
best for her to forget about me.”

“Rapunzel
isn’t happy,” scowls Wuukong. “And yet I can’t
excuse Shinobu’s lie.”

“The
answers aren’t as easy as Genkai-kamisama would have us
think,” sighs Shinobu.

“...I
must return to Yasai and think about this.” Wuukong flies away.

-
- - - -

Shinobu
ponders his problem as he watches Kazuma sleep--with the tenshi’s
long, muscled legs propped on Kazuma’s back; pinning the
prince’s body to the ground.

“Somehow,
Kazuma will visit her again. Regularly. There must be some pretense I
can use to compel him to go.”

The
tenshi summons his six alter egos. “I say find the hag
and kill her,” says Shin-kazuya, the face of slaughter. “Then
Kazuma can take the girl home without any interference.”

“That
is impossible,” smiles Shin-ichiya, the face of philosophy.

Shin-naru,
the face of beauty, nods in agreement. “To put it delicately,
there is more to Tou-momoiroi than wrinkles and spells.”

“Then
we must find a way to compel Kazuma-ouji to continue his
acquaintance with Rapunzel,” says Shin-minoru, the face of
contention. “Perhaps he can fulfill a wish of Rapunzel’s;
allow the boy to believe he can end the relationship after he’s
granted the maid’s request.”

“That
seems workable, and within the bounds of angelic law. I don’t
wish to startle Wuukong-senpai again.” Smiling, Shinobu
gathers in his six other faces and watches over his charge in
silence.

-
- - - -

Four:
The truth of why Rapunzel lives in the tower.

“Satou-kaasan said that my true mother
and father couldn’t care for me, and they gave me to her. And
yet, I want to at least know who they are, Kazuma-san.

“Can
you find out for me? What became of my parents?”

Kazuma
smiles at the memory, somewhat wryly. “I can refuse her
nothing. This Shinobu well knows: the miserable, scarecrow-limbed,
carrion-winged bastard.

“Still,
I am myself curious about Rapunzel’s origin. How did she come
to live in that tower? As I can’t leave the forest until I’ve
found it out, I may as well do as don’t.”

The
prince treks through the forest, noting a small clearing. To Kazuma’s
right lies an abandoned hut with a weed-ridden garden. To his left,
another small house where a young, blue-haired maid beats dust out of
an old mat.

“A
person, at least. As good a place to start as any.” Kazuma
walks up to the maid. “Excuse me, miss?” the prince
begins.

The
maid turns to him. “Yes?”

Kazuma
blushes slightly, noting the maid’s beauty--and faint
resemblance to Rapunzel herself. “I wished to know,” says
Kazuma, clearing his throat, “if you have heard tale of a young
babe that lived near here once. It would have been about nineteen
years ago.”

“Hmm...I
know not of that. I’ve just turned seventeen, myself.”

“I
see. Is there anyone here who may know of the babe? I would go to
your neighbor across the way, yet the house is abandoned. Or am I
wrong?”

“I
would guess that you’re correct. Father says not to go there
nonetheless. It once belonged to a witch.”

“A
witch....” Perhaps her elders can give me more information.
“Have you any family--aside from your father, of course.”

“I
have several brothers, including one elder. My mother is within, but
she is resting. Father is at market.”

“Then
would it be possible for me to wait until your father’s return?
I wish to speak with him.”

“I’d
rather we wait for my ani to return. He usually comes and goes
as he pleases, but he’s stayed close to home lately.”

“I
can wait outside, then.” Kazuma sits on the grass outside the
humble house, while the maid goes inside. “What is your name,
maid?”

“I
am called Ami.” Ami bows and leaves Kazuma. The prince takes
out his lunch.

-
- - - -

Nearby,
Hiei studies the finely-dressed youth eating outside his house.
“So.... this is the fool that has been courting my lost
sister--at least until recently.

“Hn...his
face isn’t particularly pleasing to the common eye. My new eye
is satisfied enough. The boy is clearly quite shy around women.

“A
nobleman of some sort, obviously. He does well to respect Ami’s
person.” Hiei strokes his chin as he considers his next move.

“I
think,” he says at length, “that I’ll make the lout
wait for father. I don’t want to reveal that I know the truth
about my lost sister just yet.”

-
- - - -

“Father!”
Ami and Noa both run to greet a solidly-built peasant farmer.

“How
was market today?” Noa asks.

“As
well as can be expected. Not many people came to the market at Saiba
Castle today. Not after the attack from Kuwabara.” The father
sighs, then smiles slightly. “I was at least able to buy you a
bit of ribbon for your hair, Ami. At least I’m father enough to
make you marriageable.” He ties the ribbon into Ami’s
hair.

“Father!
You know such things don’t concern me,” Ami pouts. “I
have to help mother keep house, what with her low spirits.”

“Don’t
concern yourself with those matters, girl. You are a young, pretty,
and sensible maid; and you’d lift your mother’s spirits
best if you were wed.

“These
dimwitted boys you call brothers can handle a bit of woman’s
housekeeping if need be,” adds the father, tousling Noa’s
sea-green hair. He notes Kazuma seated outside, finishing his green
tea. “And I see you’ve kept a suitor waiting outside the
house. I’ve trained you far too well.”

“Actually,
he wishes to speak with you,” says Ami. “I don’t
believe he mentioned anything of marriage.”

“Oh?”
The father moves over to the prince, who looks up at the peasant.
“You’ve done well to wait outside, then, young sir; and
eat of your own substance.”

“I
thank you,” says Kazuma. “Would it be possible for me to
speak with you alone?”

“Certainly,”
smiles the peasant, sitting next to Kazuma. He motions his two
children inside. “We’re as alone as two men can be in a
clearing amidst a forest.”

“It
shall have to suffice.”

The
prince and the peasant study one another in silence.

“From
whence do you come, lad?” asks the peasant at length.

Kazuma
smiles. “I hail from the Kuwabara Kingdom, actually. You must
be a subject of the Saiba Kingdom.”

“Not
at all. I’m no one’s subject. This scrap of land is
neither Saiba’s nor Kuwabara’s.” The peasant shakes
his head ruefully. “My family and I have actually seen battles
between the two armies over the years.

“They’ve
overturned a number of my crops, leaving us to starve; yet I can’t
regain my losses, for I belong to no one. But if I submit to either
kingdom, I must pay tribute to either that sickening pustule Damien
or that suicidal young twit ruling Kuwabara’s throne.

“Perhaps
you can shed light on the matter.”

“Though
I know you have a house to support on your meager wages,” says
Kazuma calmly, “you must consider that the Saiba Kingdom is a
tyranny, ruled by an usurper. Whereas young Kuwabara tries to be just
and honorable in his dealings with the people.”

“An
interesting perspective. Know you the prince?”

“We’ve
been eye to eye, yes,” Kazuma smiles cannily. “However, I
came here to ask you of another matter.

“A
friend of mine--a young maid, actually--was a foundling; raised by a
witch in a tower nearby. She asked me to find out what became of her
parents; my search led me here thus far.”

“I
see....” The peasant is lost in thought.

-
- - - -

-
- - - -

“...forgive
me, anate.... I have an unusual craving for that bit of
cabbage over there.” Atsuko pointed towards a small field of
cabbage, rubbing her swollen belly.

Her
husband, Gozaburo, glanced between the garden across from his hut and
his pregnant wife. “That,” said the peasant, “isn’t
our cabbage. It belongs to an old woman.”

“I...I
know. Yet surely...surely she won’t miss one head of
cabbage.... I am starving....”

Gozaburo
scowled. The past winter had not been kind to them, and it was too
late in the spring for planting. He could only forage in the forest;
yet was unable to gather much; he feared straying too far from his
wife.

When
her brother--his brother-in-law--was alive, it was easier to keep
body and soul together. But it was ten years since Atsuko’s
brother Yusuke was killed by demon assassins, and each day since was
a fight to survive.

Without
Yusuke, Atsuko grew depressed--at least until she found she was with
child. Gozaburo, ever a practical man, knew that while the coming
child would just be another mouth to feed at first; it would later be
a help to them. If a boy, he could teach him to hunt; send him to
forage. If a girl, she could help her mother with the house; and as
she grew, marry into a more prosperous family.

And
it seemed that Atsuko wanted a bit of cabbage. Gozaburo hated the
idea of stealing from a magic practitioner--those types liked to
curse people who annoyed them--but he could not countenance allowing
his wife to starve. Especially as the coming infant needed her milk
to live.

So
Gozaburo went.

-
- - -

“How
do you wish to die, mortal?” crowed Tou-momoiroi to a trembling
Gozaburo. “Shall I curse you with incurable leprosy, or smite
you outright for stealing my cabbage?”

“May
I humbly suggest that you spare my life instead? My wife would die
without me to support her.” Gozaburo winced, unused to a
supplicant posture. “You had so much, and we, nothing.”

The
witch yawned. “Excuses. The nobles near here have far more than
this old baita; yet had you stolen from them, you’d be
dead even now. Why shouldn’t I kill you?”

“I’m
a stupid peasant. Why should you or a noble trouble yourself over me?

“If
need be, I’ll serve you; to repay what I took.”

“You
two have eaten half my little patch over the past four months. And
these are no ordinary cabbages. I was breeding a select type of
enchanted cabbage--for an aphrodisiacal potion, and I hadn’t
worked out all the kinks to it yet.

“My
cabbages themselves are irresistible.” Tou-momoiroi sighed. “So
I can’t really blame your dumb wife for being a glutton about
them.

“Yet
it would take you many years to repay me, and that’s presuming
you both cease pilfering my produce. Which you won’t. I’d
own you for the rest of your life.”

Gozaburo
sighed in defeat.

“However,
I don’t have time for that nonsense. If I’m going to have
someone to care for, it ought to be that babe in your woman’s
womb. Considering she ate most of the cabbage you stole, she ought to
give of something.

“Your
wife’s going to have a little girl shortly, and I want that
baby girl to keep this old woman company. Give me that little girl,
and you may eat as much cabbage as you like--and you get to live.

“Don’t
you agree that I’m being generous?” grinned the little
old woman crudely.

Gozaburo
trembled in shock; the thought of losing his first and--considering
the late age that Atsuko bore his seed--only child frightened him.
But the peasant knew he had no other choice.

“You
are becoming wise. Wisdom often comes at great cost, and is
hard-learned.” Tou-momoiroi smiled. “I’ll be over
to pick up my new baby six weeks from now.

“Be
gone.”

At
the witch’s command, Gozaburo fled.

-
- - -

Gozaburo
held Atsuko’s hand, acting as midwife as she gave birth...to
twins.

The
first child was a black-haired infant with red eyes. The second out
also had red eyes, but soft sea-green hair. The latter’s tears
turned into small, clear beads.

After carefully swaddling the babes, Gozaburo gave
them to Atsuko, then sat on the floor next to his new family.

Atsuko
smiled sadly. “I suppose Genkai-sama saw our plight and
saw fit to give us an extra child,” she mused.

“They
both came, at the exact day Tou-momoiroi said,” added Gozaburo.
“But...what if both of them are boys? The old witch wanted a
baby girl....”

“One
of them is a girl, anate. She sheds crystal tears just like
your mother did.”

Gozaburo
fingered a necklace, a long-forgotten possession of his. It was a
simple pendant, a chain holding two large clear hiruiseki
beads fused into one with a bit of gold and silver.

While
he had thought to sell it several times in the fifteen years since he
had married Atsuko, he remembered a promise he made to Yusuke. The
strange, never-aging youth had cared for him and Atsuko for as long
as Gozaburo could remember, until it looked like Yusuke was their
son, rather than Atsuko’s brother.

“This
necklace is a gift from your mother,” Yusuke had said.
“Never give it up, Gozaburo; come what may, don’t
yield it.”

Gozaburo waited until the babes were asleep. “I
could give the witch the necklace. What is an old trinket, after all,
compared to a child?”

“Don’t
trouble yourself, anate,” said Atsuko. “The girl
will have a good home; and it is I who should feel the hurt of this.”
She touched the pale-haired infant’s petal-soft nose. “I
am the cause of our woe.”

“I’d
do it again--I hate that hag,” scowled Gozaburo. “And I
love you.”

“I
know.” Atsuko placed her hand over Gozaburo’s. “You
made a promise to Yusuke-ani. And he promised to return to us,
when we need him the most.”

Gozaburo
sighed, looking out the window. “She’s coming. Far too
punctual for my liking.”

-
- - -

“Ah;
I see you’ve decided not to tempt Genkai-kamisama--or
me, for that matter,” Tou-momoiroi chuckled, holding the
sea-green haired girl. “A wise choice; seeing as megami
has smiled on you with your son there. What is his name?”

“We
call him Hiei,” said Atsuko. “Because his dark hair
sticks up like a flame.

“And
your daughter: what do you call her?”

“Her
name is Yukina,” said Gozaburo.

“What
a lovely name for your little girl. As for my little girl,”
smiled the witch, bouncing her new bundle, “I have named her
Rapunzel.”

Hiei
began to cry, and tears streaked down Atsuko’s cheeks.

“Wait,
old one. Can’t we make another bargain?” pleaded
Gozaburo.

“Hn...no.
I’ve already planned out a place for Rapunzel to live. It’s
most inconvenient for these old bones to change things once they’re
set, you know.

“But
don’t fret. Your woman’s young yet--she’ll bear you
more children. In time, you’ll have forgotten this one.”
Tou-momoiroi summoned her broom and flew away, tiny Rapunzel cradled
in her arms.

Gozaburo
stepped out of his home, sunk to his haunches, and wept in silence.

-
- - - -

-
- - - -

“I
wish I could say one way or another,” the peasant says to
Kazuma. “I’d venture to say that if she’s well,
then her parents do well also; when we consider the times in which we
live.”

Kazuma
sighs. “I thank you for your time.” Bowing, Kazuma leaves
the clearing.

“...anate,”
calls the woman of the house. “Who was there?”

“Atsuko,
you must rest. Get back in bed,” says the peasant gruffly.

“Hn.
Quit treating me like a cripple.” Atsuko peeks out the window,
noting the red-haired youth’s trek into the forest. “What
were you two talking about, Gozaburo?

“Oh.
You silly woman.” Gozaburo fingers an old necklace with a
crystal pendant. “We spoke of old, forgotten...memories.”

--- END CHAPTER 2 ---
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A Grown-up Bedtime Story

A Grown-up Bedtime Story