To Jeanette, From Sherri ♥
Title: Kuroyuki and the Three Mokona, and Other Tales
Author: doumeki
Recipient: von_questenberg
Series: xxxHOLiC, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, Clover
Characters/Pairing: Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuuko, Maru, Moro, Mokona=Modoki, Mokona=Modoki, Mokona, Ran, Gingetsu, Kurogane, Tomoyo, Fai, mentions of Kaede and Sai
Rating: PG, because, y'know, Kurogane.
Author Notes/Warnings: Well. I hit all of your pairings, dear, and even got in an extra one. ♥ I hope you like it!
Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a young boy who lived in a nice house with his step-mother and step-sisters. His name was Watanuki Kimihiro.
In a land not too far from where Kimihiro lived, there was another boy who lived trapped in a tower with only a single window for him to look out of. His name was Ran.
In the same kingdom where Ran was held captive in his tower, there lived a prince by the name of Kurogane, though his step-mother, Tomoyo-ou, was fond of calling him Kuroyuki.
This is their story.
+++
Watanuki Kimihiro lived a fairly uneventful life. He cooked, he cleaned, he did the laundry, and he took care of his two younger step-sisters, Maru and Moro. It was, he had decided long ago, not the worst life he could have.
The girl down the street had it much worse. At least, while he was treated like a slave, he wasn’t forced to dress like one. He would have to draw the line at being dressed in rags.
But then, he doubted Yuuko-san would allow him to dress that way when she had outfit after embarrassing outfit for him to wear.
+++
Ran had been given to a woman at birth. The woman, whom he later found out was a witch named Yuuko-san, had told him that he was the price for a wish his parents had made. It had nothing to do with whether they wanted him or not - they did, she assured him - but prices must be paid.
He had merely shrugged.
Yuuko-san had mostly left him alone, appearing randomly to see how he was doing. So, when she showed up on his sixteenth birthday, he didn’t really think much of it.
“Follow me,” Yuuko-san said, and Ran did.
They ended up in front of a tall tower in the middle of no where.
“You’re going to be living in there,” she announced.
Ran lifted an eyebrow. “And how am I supposed to get in there?”
“Close your eyes.”
Being the obedient boy that he was, he did. He felt a strange tugging at his body and opened his eyes.
He was in the tower. He ran to the window and looked out, spotting Yuuko-san at the bottom. Despite the distance, he could see the huge grin on her face.
“Be a good boy and stay up there for a while,” she called out. “Someone will come to rescue you.” She paused. “Eventually.”
+++
Kurogane had been born to privilege, though you couldn’t tell by looking at him. He was gruff, his hands callused from sword play, and had an attitude befitting the stable boy.
Tomoyo-ou had tried throughout his younger years to train him on his position, to coach him on his attitude, posture, hygiene. The problem with the training, however, was that he didn’t care. He didn’t want to be a prince who hid behind everyone else should a war break out.
Granted, the chances of a war starting were as slim as him marrying the nice, boring, prince from the next kingdom over.
It just wasn’t happening.
+++
“Oh, Watanuki!”
Kimihiro looked up from the chicken he was roasting to find his step-mother and step-sisters smiling at him. He felt a chill go down his spine.
“What?”
Yuuko-san grinned at him. “We just received an invitation to the Prince’s ball.”
Kimihiro rolled his eyes. “Have fun.”
“All unmarried women are required to attend.”
“Good thing I’m not a woman,” he replied.
He saw a glint in Yuuko-san’s eyes.
“No. I am not a woman. I will not be a woman.”
“But Watanuki! This is your chance to win the prince’s heart!”
“Win the prince’s heart!” Maru and Moro chorused.
“I don’t want to win the prince’s heart,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Too bad,” Yuuko-san sighed. “Such a pity, especially after I went and got you a dress and everything.”
“She got you a dress!” Maru echoed.
“Such a shame,” Moro sighed.
Kimihiro eyed them warily. He had a bad feeling.
+++
Ran was hungry. Yuuko-san hadn’t been by with food for a week, and he was on his last loaf of bread and bottle of water.
He was sitting by the window, keeping watch for the witch when he saw a horse making its way towards the tower. It wasn’t Yuuko-san, he knew - the witch just randomly appeared in the tower with a basket of food and just as randomly disappeared when his back was turned.
Perhaps it was just a random traveler riding by.
+++
“What?” Kurogane screeched. “What do you mean, you’re kicking me out?”
Tomoyo-ou sighed and looked at him sadly. “You just don’t behave like a prince. I can’t have you here when I invite your betrothed here to finalize the wedding plans. We’ll send for you the day before the wedding. Until then, take care.”
Souma appeared behind him and grabbed his elbow. “This way, Kurogane-ouji. Tomoyo-ou has prepared a place for you to stay until she summons you.”
Kurogane was dragged out of the castle, yelling. Souma rolled her eyes and continued to pull him into the forest. She stopped in front of a small cottage sitting in a clearing.
“Hello!”
“This is Kurogane-ouji,” Souma said, releasing his elbow. “Please take good care of him.” And with that, Souma turned around and walked away, leaving him with three small rabbit-type creatures.
“Nice to meet you, Kuroyuki! We’ve heard all about you!” the black one said cheerfully, waving at him.
“What the hell.”
“I’m Mokona!” the small white one chirped.
“And I’m Mokona!” the black one said. “You can call us Mokona!”
“Puu!” said the large white one.
“We’ll be taking care of you from here on out,” Mokona - the other white one - said.
“Like hell you will,” Kurogane announced, and began walking back in the direction of the castle.
+++
It had been a futile fight to begin with, he knew, which was why he was in the hideous blue dress with the uncomfortable glass high heels. He even had a blue headband in his hair.
Yuuko-san had said it would match his eyes.
Match his eyes, his ass, he thought. More like it upped the entertainment factor.
Yuuko-san was dancing with the king of some distant country, laughing and twirling about on the dance floor, skirts swooshing around her.
“Glad she’s having fun,” he muttered darkly, sipping his punch. “She couldn’t have taken Maru and Moro. No. She had to dress me up and take me.”
“May I have this dance?”
Kimihiro blinked and turned his head to find a man his age staring at him intently.
“No offense or anything, but I don’t dance,” Kimihiro said, returning his attention to the couples spinning about.
“Neither do I,” the man said before dragging Kimihiro onto the dance floor.
“Wha-?”
Yuuko-san twirled by him and smiled, winking.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice boomed. “The prince has chosen a bride!”
+++
There was a man at the base of his tower.
“May I help you?” he called down.
The man looked up, blinked, then replied, “I am here to retrieve you.”
It was Ran’s turn to blink. “I’m supposed to stay here.”
“I have come to retrieve you,” the man repeated.
Ran frowned. “How are you going to do that? I’m way up here. You’re all the way down there.”
“I am aware,” the man says. “I will climb up and retrieve you.”
“There is no way to climb this tower,” Ran informed him.
“I have rope.”
“What is your name?”
“Gingetsu.”
+++
“What?” Kurogane seemed to be saying that a lot, he realized.
“You’re going to cook and clean for us!” Mokona said.
“And then you can stay here!” the other Mokona added.
“Puu!” the third Mokona chimed in.
“Do you say anything other than puu?” Kurogane asked, annoyed.
“Puu!”
“Now,” the black Mokona said, “don’t open the door to anyone but us. We’ll be back in an hour.”
“Wait! Where the hell are you guys going?” Kurogane demanded.
“We have to work,” the white Mokona explained. “Otherwise Kuroyuki-hime will eat all of our food and we’ll starve!”
“Puu!”
The three Mokona left, giving Kurogane a list of chores to complete before they returned.
Kurogane threw the list in the garbage, sat down, and started drinking the black Mokona’s sake.
+++
He was running as fast as he possibly could away from the castle. Clearly, everyone there had lost their minds if he thought that he was going to marry Doumeki Shizuka-ouji.
No way in hell.
“Oi!” Doumeki-ouji called out just as Kimihiro tripped on the stairs.
He scrambled up, lifted his dress, and kept running. He realized after a rock dug into his left foot that he must have left a shoe behind.
Whatever, he thought, and kept running.
+++
Gingetsu stood in front of Ran. “I have come to retrieve you.”
“You keep saying that,” Ran said, “but you’ve only managed to get up here. How are we going to get down?”
“You are going to climb on my back, then I will climb down.”
Ran stared at him for a moment before doing so. Gingetsu walked back to the window, grabbed the rope, and began making his way down.
“Where are you taking me?” Ran asked.
“To my house,” Gingetsu replied.
“Why?”
“Because that’s what I was told to do.”
+++
There was a knock on the door just as Kurogane ran out of alcohol. He heard the Mokona’s voice in the back of his head, warning him against answering the door, but he shoved it away.
Maybe the person had more alcohol.
He opened the door to find a tall woman standing on front porch.
“My name is Yuuko,” she said.
“So?” Kurogane replied. “Why do I care?”
“Because I’m going to help you,” she replied, smiling.
“With what? I don’t need your help.”
Yuuko pulled out a big bottle of sake. “Aren’t you out?” she asked, her voice lilting.
Kurogane grabbed the bottle. “Thanks.” Then he slammed the door on her face.
He was back on the couch when he opened the sake bottle and took a swig.
There was a voice laughing happily before he blacked out.
+++
A few days had passed since the ball had taken place, and Kimihiro was sick of hearing about the ‘mysterious maiden whom the prince had fallen madly in love with.’
“She wasn’t a she,” he seethed. “She was a he.”
Yuuko-san raised an eyebrow, sipping her sake. She had just returned from one of her jobs - whatever they where, he never asked - and hadn’t mentioned the dance.
The doorbell chimed, and Kimihiro noticed Yuuko-san sit up a little straighter, and there was a smile hidden in her cup, he would almost bet on it.
“The prince is here!” Maru called.
“He has Watanuki’s shoe!” Moro added.
Kimihiro glared before marching into the living room.
“Now look here,” he started, but Doumeki-ouji didn’t let him finish.
“Sit.”
“Excuse me?” Kimihiro asked, incredulous. “What did you just say?”
“Sit,” Doumeki-ouji repeated before pushing Kimihiro into the nearest chair and shoved the glass heel on his bare foot.
“Told you,” Maru sung.
“Told you,” Moro chorused.
“I suppose you’ll be taking him away to the castle then,” Yuuko-san said, standing in the doorway. “We’ll send his things.”
Doumeki-ouji nodded before dragging Kimihiro to the waiting carriage.
+++
“Yuuko-san sent you.” Ran was sitting on a chair in Gingetsu’s kitchen, sipping a cup of hot chocolate.
“Yes,” Gingetsu replied, stirring the soup.
“So, what happens next?”
“You stay here with me.”
Ran thought about it for a moment. “Won’t it be too much trouble? You don’t seem as though you like kids.”
“It will, and I don‘t,” Gingetsu agreed. “But you will stay here, regardless.”
Ran smiled into his cup. “Okay.”
+++
He could here voices whispering around him. He tried to tell them to shut up, but his mouth wouldn’t move.
He tried to open his eyes. No luck.
His body wouldn’t move, either.
There was poison in that sake, he thought grimly. Or an elephant tranquilizer.
“How sad!” he heard one of the Mokona cry.
“Will anything wake him?” another Mokona sobbed.
“Puu!”
“I wonder,” another voice he didn’t recognize said. “My sister came across this problem a month ago. Sai-hime was asleep in a tower after pricking her finger on a spindle, and Kaede-nee kissed her, and Sai-hime woke up.”
“Maybe if you kissed Kuroyuki!” the two Mokona suggested.
“Puu!”
Kurogane started struggling. He was awake, damn it! He just couldn’t move. Or open his eyes.
But that didn’t mean some stranger needed to kiss him.
“Perhaps,” the voice said, and suddenly, there were warm lips on his, and Kurogane could move.
And the first thing he did once he lifted his hand was punch his would-be savior in the face.
+++
“I am not marrying you,” Kimihiro said, for what seemed like the millionth time. “Why won’t you- ow, can you not poke me with that needle, please?- listen to me?”
Doumeki-ouji said nothing.
“Do you even speak?” Kimihiro asked, turning around so the seamstress could make the finishing touches on his wedding dress. “And are you even supposed to be here? The groom isn’t supposed to see the bride before they get married.” He paused. “But then, I’m not marrying you, so whatever. But still. It’s the principle of the thing.”
“He is ready, Doumeki-ouji,” the seamstress said, bowing.
Doumeki-ouji nodded his head, and grabbed Kimihiro by the hand. “We’re going to be late.”
“Oh, so now you can speak. And late? Late for what?”
“Our wedding.”
“Our what? We are not getting married. Did you not catch that, you big dumb jerk?”
Doumeki-ouji opened a door, and music started playing. Doumeki-ouji led Kimihiro down the carpeted walkway, toward a podium where a man dressed like priest stood.
“No. No no no no no no. I am not marrying you,” he hissed, doing his best to smile at all the people who had come to witness his humiliation.
Doumeki-ouji said nothing, and soon they were in front of the priest, and the ceremony began.
Every time he tried to run, Doumeki-ouji caught him.
Yuuko-san sat in the front row, giving him the thumbs up.
“If any one present has any reason that these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace,” the priest intoned.
“I d-” Kimihiro’s objection was muffled by the presence of Doumeki-ouji’s lips on his.
“I now pronounce you man and man.”
Kimihiro fainted.
+++
Ran watched as the bride fainted. “I wonder if he didn’t want to marry the prince.”
“Nonsense,” Yuuko-san said. “Everyone wants to marry a prince.”
“I don’t,” Ran said.
“Well, of course not,” Yuuko-san replied. “You’re already living with one.”
Gingetsu twitched beside him.
“Gingetsu is a prince?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
Yuuko-san smiled. “Of course.”
Ran looked at Gingetsu and tilted his head to the side. “He doesn’t look much like a prince.”
“Now, now,” Yuuko-san chided. “Not everyone can have Doumeki-ouji’s good looks.”
Ran shrugged and decided to keep quiet. After all, he thought Gingetsu was much better looking.
+++
“How wonderful!” Tomoyo-ou proclaimed as Kurogane was dragged into the throne room. “I’m so glad you were able to find Kuroyuki, Fai-ouji!”
“Mokona, Mokona, and Mokona helped,” Fai-ouji said with a big smile.
“Now, the wedding takes place tomorrow,” Tomoyo-ou announced, and Kurogane twitched. “I will hear no objections. You will wed Fai-ouji, Kuroyuki. After all,” she paused and heaved a dramatic sigh. “It’s what your father would have wanted.”
Fai-ouji was still grinning.
“I am not marrying this idiot.” Kurogane announced.
“Now, now, Kuroyuki-chan,” Fai-ouji stage whispered. “Is that any way to treat the person who saved your life?”
“How romantic!” Tomoyo-ou cut it. “You’ll have to tell me all about it!”
Kurogane wondered if there was any way to go back to the cottage and down the rest of the poisoned wine.
The way Fai-ouji and Tomoyo-ou were smiling at him, he doubted it.
+++
AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER. THE END.
Author: doumeki
Recipient: von_questenberg
Series: xxxHOLiC, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles, Clover
Characters/Pairing: Watanuki, Doumeki, Yuuko, Maru, Moro, Mokona=Modoki, Mokona=Modoki, Mokona, Ran, Gingetsu, Kurogane, Tomoyo, Fai, mentions of Kaede and Sai
Rating: PG, because, y'know, Kurogane.
Author Notes/Warnings: Well. I hit all of your pairings, dear, and even got in an extra one. ♥ I hope you like it!
Once upon a time, in a far away land, there was a young boy who lived in a nice house with his step-mother and step-sisters. His name was Watanuki Kimihiro.
In a land not too far from where Kimihiro lived, there was another boy who lived trapped in a tower with only a single window for him to look out of. His name was Ran.
In the same kingdom where Ran was held captive in his tower, there lived a prince by the name of Kurogane, though his step-mother, Tomoyo-ou, was fond of calling him Kuroyuki.
This is their story.
+++
Watanuki Kimihiro lived a fairly uneventful life. He cooked, he cleaned, he did the laundry, and he took care of his two younger step-sisters, Maru and Moro. It was, he had decided long ago, not the worst life he could have.
The girl down the street had it much worse. At least, while he was treated like a slave, he wasn’t forced to dress like one. He would have to draw the line at being dressed in rags.
But then, he doubted Yuuko-san would allow him to dress that way when she had outfit after embarrassing outfit for him to wear.
+++
Ran had been given to a woman at birth. The woman, whom he later found out was a witch named Yuuko-san, had told him that he was the price for a wish his parents had made. It had nothing to do with whether they wanted him or not - they did, she assured him - but prices must be paid.
He had merely shrugged.
Yuuko-san had mostly left him alone, appearing randomly to see how he was doing. So, when she showed up on his sixteenth birthday, he didn’t really think much of it.
“Follow me,” Yuuko-san said, and Ran did.
They ended up in front of a tall tower in the middle of no where.
“You’re going to be living in there,” she announced.
Ran lifted an eyebrow. “And how am I supposed to get in there?”
“Close your eyes.”
Being the obedient boy that he was, he did. He felt a strange tugging at his body and opened his eyes.
He was in the tower. He ran to the window and looked out, spotting Yuuko-san at the bottom. Despite the distance, he could see the huge grin on her face.
“Be a good boy and stay up there for a while,” she called out. “Someone will come to rescue you.” She paused. “Eventually.”
+++
Kurogane had been born to privilege, though you couldn’t tell by looking at him. He was gruff, his hands callused from sword play, and had an attitude befitting the stable boy.
Tomoyo-ou had tried throughout his younger years to train him on his position, to coach him on his attitude, posture, hygiene. The problem with the training, however, was that he didn’t care. He didn’t want to be a prince who hid behind everyone else should a war break out.
Granted, the chances of a war starting were as slim as him marrying the nice, boring, prince from the next kingdom over.
It just wasn’t happening.
+++
“Oh, Watanuki!”
Kimihiro looked up from the chicken he was roasting to find his step-mother and step-sisters smiling at him. He felt a chill go down his spine.
“What?”
Yuuko-san grinned at him. “We just received an invitation to the Prince’s ball.”
Kimihiro rolled his eyes. “Have fun.”
“All unmarried women are required to attend.”
“Good thing I’m not a woman,” he replied.
He saw a glint in Yuuko-san’s eyes.
“No. I am not a woman. I will not be a woman.”
“But Watanuki! This is your chance to win the prince’s heart!”
“Win the prince’s heart!” Maru and Moro chorused.
“I don’t want to win the prince’s heart,” he said through clenched teeth.
“Too bad,” Yuuko-san sighed. “Such a pity, especially after I went and got you a dress and everything.”
“She got you a dress!” Maru echoed.
“Such a shame,” Moro sighed.
Kimihiro eyed them warily. He had a bad feeling.
+++
Ran was hungry. Yuuko-san hadn’t been by with food for a week, and he was on his last loaf of bread and bottle of water.
He was sitting by the window, keeping watch for the witch when he saw a horse making its way towards the tower. It wasn’t Yuuko-san, he knew - the witch just randomly appeared in the tower with a basket of food and just as randomly disappeared when his back was turned.
Perhaps it was just a random traveler riding by.
+++
“What?” Kurogane screeched. “What do you mean, you’re kicking me out?”
Tomoyo-ou sighed and looked at him sadly. “You just don’t behave like a prince. I can’t have you here when I invite your betrothed here to finalize the wedding plans. We’ll send for you the day before the wedding. Until then, take care.”
Souma appeared behind him and grabbed his elbow. “This way, Kurogane-ouji. Tomoyo-ou has prepared a place for you to stay until she summons you.”
Kurogane was dragged out of the castle, yelling. Souma rolled her eyes and continued to pull him into the forest. She stopped in front of a small cottage sitting in a clearing.
“Hello!”
“This is Kurogane-ouji,” Souma said, releasing his elbow. “Please take good care of him.” And with that, Souma turned around and walked away, leaving him with three small rabbit-type creatures.
“Nice to meet you, Kuroyuki! We’ve heard all about you!” the black one said cheerfully, waving at him.
“What the hell.”
“I’m Mokona!” the small white one chirped.
“And I’m Mokona!” the black one said. “You can call us Mokona!”
“Puu!” said the large white one.
“We’ll be taking care of you from here on out,” Mokona - the other white one - said.
“Like hell you will,” Kurogane announced, and began walking back in the direction of the castle.
+++
It had been a futile fight to begin with, he knew, which was why he was in the hideous blue dress with the uncomfortable glass high heels. He even had a blue headband in his hair.
Yuuko-san had said it would match his eyes.
Match his eyes, his ass, he thought. More like it upped the entertainment factor.
Yuuko-san was dancing with the king of some distant country, laughing and twirling about on the dance floor, skirts swooshing around her.
“Glad she’s having fun,” he muttered darkly, sipping his punch. “She couldn’t have taken Maru and Moro. No. She had to dress me up and take me.”
“May I have this dance?”
Kimihiro blinked and turned his head to find a man his age staring at him intently.
“No offense or anything, but I don’t dance,” Kimihiro said, returning his attention to the couples spinning about.
“Neither do I,” the man said before dragging Kimihiro onto the dance floor.
“Wha-?”
Yuuko-san twirled by him and smiled, winking.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” a voice boomed. “The prince has chosen a bride!”
+++
There was a man at the base of his tower.
“May I help you?” he called down.
The man looked up, blinked, then replied, “I am here to retrieve you.”
It was Ran’s turn to blink. “I’m supposed to stay here.”
“I have come to retrieve you,” the man repeated.
Ran frowned. “How are you going to do that? I’m way up here. You’re all the way down there.”
“I am aware,” the man says. “I will climb up and retrieve you.”
“There is no way to climb this tower,” Ran informed him.
“I have rope.”
“What is your name?”
“Gingetsu.”
+++
“What?” Kurogane seemed to be saying that a lot, he realized.
“You’re going to cook and clean for us!” Mokona said.
“And then you can stay here!” the other Mokona added.
“Puu!” the third Mokona chimed in.
“Do you say anything other than puu?” Kurogane asked, annoyed.
“Puu!”
“Now,” the black Mokona said, “don’t open the door to anyone but us. We’ll be back in an hour.”
“Wait! Where the hell are you guys going?” Kurogane demanded.
“We have to work,” the white Mokona explained. “Otherwise Kuroyuki-hime will eat all of our food and we’ll starve!”
“Puu!”
The three Mokona left, giving Kurogane a list of chores to complete before they returned.
Kurogane threw the list in the garbage, sat down, and started drinking the black Mokona’s sake.
+++
He was running as fast as he possibly could away from the castle. Clearly, everyone there had lost their minds if he thought that he was going to marry Doumeki Shizuka-ouji.
No way in hell.
“Oi!” Doumeki-ouji called out just as Kimihiro tripped on the stairs.
He scrambled up, lifted his dress, and kept running. He realized after a rock dug into his left foot that he must have left a shoe behind.
Whatever, he thought, and kept running.
+++
Gingetsu stood in front of Ran. “I have come to retrieve you.”
“You keep saying that,” Ran said, “but you’ve only managed to get up here. How are we going to get down?”
“You are going to climb on my back, then I will climb down.”
Ran stared at him for a moment before doing so. Gingetsu walked back to the window, grabbed the rope, and began making his way down.
“Where are you taking me?” Ran asked.
“To my house,” Gingetsu replied.
“Why?”
“Because that’s what I was told to do.”
+++
There was a knock on the door just as Kurogane ran out of alcohol. He heard the Mokona’s voice in the back of his head, warning him against answering the door, but he shoved it away.
Maybe the person had more alcohol.
He opened the door to find a tall woman standing on front porch.
“My name is Yuuko,” she said.
“So?” Kurogane replied. “Why do I care?”
“Because I’m going to help you,” she replied, smiling.
“With what? I don’t need your help.”
Yuuko pulled out a big bottle of sake. “Aren’t you out?” she asked, her voice lilting.
Kurogane grabbed the bottle. “Thanks.” Then he slammed the door on her face.
He was back on the couch when he opened the sake bottle and took a swig.
There was a voice laughing happily before he blacked out.
+++
A few days had passed since the ball had taken place, and Kimihiro was sick of hearing about the ‘mysterious maiden whom the prince had fallen madly in love with.’
“She wasn’t a she,” he seethed. “She was a he.”
Yuuko-san raised an eyebrow, sipping her sake. She had just returned from one of her jobs - whatever they where, he never asked - and hadn’t mentioned the dance.
The doorbell chimed, and Kimihiro noticed Yuuko-san sit up a little straighter, and there was a smile hidden in her cup, he would almost bet on it.
“The prince is here!” Maru called.
“He has Watanuki’s shoe!” Moro added.
Kimihiro glared before marching into the living room.
“Now look here,” he started, but Doumeki-ouji didn’t let him finish.
“Sit.”
“Excuse me?” Kimihiro asked, incredulous. “What did you just say?”
“Sit,” Doumeki-ouji repeated before pushing Kimihiro into the nearest chair and shoved the glass heel on his bare foot.
“Told you,” Maru sung.
“Told you,” Moro chorused.
“I suppose you’ll be taking him away to the castle then,” Yuuko-san said, standing in the doorway. “We’ll send his things.”
Doumeki-ouji nodded before dragging Kimihiro to the waiting carriage.
+++
“Yuuko-san sent you.” Ran was sitting on a chair in Gingetsu’s kitchen, sipping a cup of hot chocolate.
“Yes,” Gingetsu replied, stirring the soup.
“So, what happens next?”
“You stay here with me.”
Ran thought about it for a moment. “Won’t it be too much trouble? You don’t seem as though you like kids.”
“It will, and I don‘t,” Gingetsu agreed. “But you will stay here, regardless.”
Ran smiled into his cup. “Okay.”
+++
He could here voices whispering around him. He tried to tell them to shut up, but his mouth wouldn’t move.
He tried to open his eyes. No luck.
His body wouldn’t move, either.
There was poison in that sake, he thought grimly. Or an elephant tranquilizer.
“How sad!” he heard one of the Mokona cry.
“Will anything wake him?” another Mokona sobbed.
“Puu!”
“I wonder,” another voice he didn’t recognize said. “My sister came across this problem a month ago. Sai-hime was asleep in a tower after pricking her finger on a spindle, and Kaede-nee kissed her, and Sai-hime woke up.”
“Maybe if you kissed Kuroyuki!” the two Mokona suggested.
“Puu!”
Kurogane started struggling. He was awake, damn it! He just couldn’t move. Or open his eyes.
But that didn’t mean some stranger needed to kiss him.
“Perhaps,” the voice said, and suddenly, there were warm lips on his, and Kurogane could move.
And the first thing he did once he lifted his hand was punch his would-be savior in the face.
+++
“I am not marrying you,” Kimihiro said, for what seemed like the millionth time. “Why won’t you- ow, can you not poke me with that needle, please?- listen to me?”
Doumeki-ouji said nothing.
“Do you even speak?” Kimihiro asked, turning around so the seamstress could make the finishing touches on his wedding dress. “And are you even supposed to be here? The groom isn’t supposed to see the bride before they get married.” He paused. “But then, I’m not marrying you, so whatever. But still. It’s the principle of the thing.”
“He is ready, Doumeki-ouji,” the seamstress said, bowing.
Doumeki-ouji nodded his head, and grabbed Kimihiro by the hand. “We’re going to be late.”
“Oh, so now you can speak. And late? Late for what?”
“Our wedding.”
“Our what? We are not getting married. Did you not catch that, you big dumb jerk?”
Doumeki-ouji opened a door, and music started playing. Doumeki-ouji led Kimihiro down the carpeted walkway, toward a podium where a man dressed like priest stood.
“No. No no no no no no. I am not marrying you,” he hissed, doing his best to smile at all the people who had come to witness his humiliation.
Doumeki-ouji said nothing, and soon they were in front of the priest, and the ceremony began.
Every time he tried to run, Doumeki-ouji caught him.
Yuuko-san sat in the front row, giving him the thumbs up.
“If any one present has any reason that these two should not be wed, speak now, or forever hold your peace,” the priest intoned.
“I d-” Kimihiro’s objection was muffled by the presence of Doumeki-ouji’s lips on his.
“I now pronounce you man and man.”
Kimihiro fainted.
+++
Ran watched as the bride fainted. “I wonder if he didn’t want to marry the prince.”
“Nonsense,” Yuuko-san said. “Everyone wants to marry a prince.”
“I don’t,” Ran said.
“Well, of course not,” Yuuko-san replied. “You’re already living with one.”
Gingetsu twitched beside him.
“Gingetsu is a prince?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
Yuuko-san smiled. “Of course.”
Ran looked at Gingetsu and tilted his head to the side. “He doesn’t look much like a prince.”
“Now, now,” Yuuko-san chided. “Not everyone can have Doumeki-ouji’s good looks.”
Ran shrugged and decided to keep quiet. After all, he thought Gingetsu was much better looking.
+++
“How wonderful!” Tomoyo-ou proclaimed as Kurogane was dragged into the throne room. “I’m so glad you were able to find Kuroyuki, Fai-ouji!”
“Mokona, Mokona, and Mokona helped,” Fai-ouji said with a big smile.
“Now, the wedding takes place tomorrow,” Tomoyo-ou announced, and Kurogane twitched. “I will hear no objections. You will wed Fai-ouji, Kuroyuki. After all,” she paused and heaved a dramatic sigh. “It’s what your father would have wanted.”
Fai-ouji was still grinning.
“I am not marrying this idiot.” Kurogane announced.
“Now, now, Kuroyuki-chan,” Fai-ouji stage whispered. “Is that any way to treat the person who saved your life?”
“How romantic!” Tomoyo-ou cut it. “You’ll have to tell me all about it!”
Kurogane wondered if there was any way to go back to the cottage and down the rest of the poisoned wine.
The way Fai-ouji and Tomoyo-ou were smiling at him, he doubted it.
+++
AND THEY ALL LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER. THE END.