Chapter V.
On the Swing
Hayabusa woke up. His head hurt terribly. Where was he? What had happened? He was lying on cold ground, tied up. It looked as if he was in some kind of a tent. It was dark and cold, he could barely see anything in front of him. A note of despair was spreading around him as the terrible smell of wildirned was filling his nose.
For first few minutes, he was just trying to remember what happened before until it all came to him. Bandits attacking their camp, a strong hit in his head and most importantly... leaving Kagura alone in the bushes, weaponless. Was she okay? What happened, did she get hurt? His mind was filled with different questions.
He had to get out. He needed to find her, make sure she was fine, not only that he was concerned as her guard but also as a person who loves her and cares for her from the bottom of his heart. He was ninja after all, simple ties shouldn't be a problem for him, right? Unfortunately, after receiving a hit in his head and possibly a slight contusion, he wasn't able to think straight.
He managed to sit up but his wiggling didn't do good for taking off the bonds that were restricting his movement. He eventually got tired so he leaned against something solid behind his back and observed the area. His sword was removed but hopefully, they didn't find shurikens he had hidden for emergency.
All of sudden, the man who knocked him entered the tent, checking on him. He let a beam of light inside blinding Hayabusa for a brief moment. Lapu-Lapu was bare chested and has messy curly brown hair decorated with few coloured pearls.
"So... You're awake..." He mumbled watching him with slight disgust. "Did you sleep long enough in the mud?" He asked with a smirk.
"Come closer and I'll show you the mud." Hayabusa muttered as he tried to reach his shurikens. He successfully took one and hid it behind his back as he was slowly cutting the ropes he was tied with.
"A fighter, huh?" Lapu-Lapu chuckled. "Maybe I should just knock you out again. I'm not going to fight you when we both see you have already lost." He said as he crossed his arms.
Hayabusa now cut the bonds as his hands were free but he still needed to get himself some kind of a weapon. He decided to try to bait him to come closer. "Oh, really? Or are you too afraid to come here and show what are you made of?" He asked.
"What can you do, you stupid worm?! Man, why am I even letting somebody like you get on my nerves?" He muttered. "Now... Let's get to why am I here..." He took a bottle of water and threw it in front of the man. "There you go, I hope you enjoy your stay." He chuckled before leaving.
It was dark once again but this time, he was free... well at least less or more since he was still in the middle of their camp. At least, now he was able to get up and move around. He looked around the dark place trying to find anything sharp.
He opened few dusty old boxes and found less or more nothing, except few bottles of rum. 'What kind of a drunkard is living here?' He thought. His search continued until he found something lying on the ground. A dagger, or maybe a knife? It looked pretty sharp but it was small, yet it was better than nothing.
He picked it up just at the right moment since the tent opened again as Lapu-Lapu was standing on the entrance again, staring at the boy who was this time armed. They stood there in silence watching each other before Hayabusa acted. He turned into a shadow, moved behind his opponent and tackled him.
"Who's in the mud now, my 'friend'?" He muttered. "Now, tell me where is Kagura!!" He said, trying to keep his voice down since he didn't want to be heard by others. He was slowly pressing the dagger against the bandit's neck carefully not to cut him.
"K-kagura? W-who is t-that?" He mumbled, not so brave any more since he dropped his weapons and wasn't able to reach them. "Please, believe me! I have no idea who she is."
"Do you remember the umbrella you have taken?" Hayabusa asked looking very angry. "Do you?! Or do I have to refresh your memory?! Just tell me where she is!!" He was mad.
"N-no! Please don't do anything to me... We haven't done anything to her. She attacked us... We ran... Please, believe me..." He cried out. "You people are crazy..." He mumbled
Just at that moment, a scream could be heard outside. It wasn't hard to recognise a soft girly voice yelling: "Get your hands off me!!" Kagura was in trouble.
Hayabusa just gazed at the man underneath him for a moment before saying: "Save excuses for somebody else, right now, give me my sword." His voice was soft yet cold. Lapu Lapu was scared, the ninja could feel him shaking in fear.
***
Lancelot soon appeared in the castle garden, right behind Odette. He walked up to her and said: "Has anybody told you you look absolutely beautiful out here?" He openly started to flirt.
"Oh, please, are you saying I don't look good inside?" She replied rising an eyebrow before chuckling a little at his confused expression.
"You really are something special..." He muttered as he ran his fingers through his long blonde hair. He was in one hand charmed by the woman and admired the way she speaks and replies to his comments while in other hand, he found it like a challenge. He now added one more goal to the goal list he had to complete in that castle.
"I know I am." She smiled as she kept walking forwards, the song of swans following her every move. She was carrying a sword by her belt and her magic staff in hands as she slowly made her way towards the Swan Lake.
Lancelot just stood there like if his legs were made out of stone before Odette turned to him once again and motioned him to follow. "So, are you coming or not?" She offered him a soft smile.
He quickly ran after her, feeling as if all of his wounds were healed. He had his rapier in its holder. They walked by each other for some time until they reached a beautiful large tree to which was attached a swing.
"I used to always come here while I was younger. I'd sit on this swing and talk about things that filled my little life..." She started before she sat on the swing, taking a hold of the ropes that were holding the old piece of wood. It was one of the rare parts of castle surroundings that wasn't fancy and decorated with gold.
"And my dad would push me from behind..." She continued pushing herself off the ground a little by her own legs. "We would laugh... We used to spend whole days like that..." She mumbled. "While I was just a little girl..."
She was swinging slowly as she continued her story. She truly just needed to take that off her chest. Lancelot didn't know what to say until an idea popped up in his mind. He stood behind her as she was swinging. She felt his hands touching her back as a slight push from his side moved the swing forwards.
Odette gazed at him in wonder. "W-what are y-you--?" She mumbled, still looking at him. She almost fell off the swing but luckily, he was there to take a hold of her.
"Hold on tightly, Little Princess." He said with a smile. For next few moments, they were just standing still in awkward silence until Odette took hold of the ropes once again and he pushed her more awakening old, lost and forgotten memories of the girl's past.
Soon, they started talking. They were having fun. They were laughing. Just like Odette used to with her dad. Lancelot then decided to go for it and ask: "And what happened to your parents? I have heard everybody calling you Princess but I haven't seen or heard about the king or the queen."
The young Swan Princess sighed. "One day, they went to this lake and were here until the sky turned orange. Then, they walked in the water, turned into swans and swum into the eternity, as one with the setting sun." She said before she stopped the swing. She just kept sitting on it.
Lancelot watched her. He understood it must have been hard for her and for a moment, he forgot about the reason he was there and for a moment he just felt compassion warming up his heart. The girl sat there in silence watching the surface of the lake as Lancelot hugged her from behind.
She didn't think about anything at that moment. She just accepted the embrace and placed her hands over his. The moment didn't last long since Lancelot pulled away very soon and pulled out his rapier facing the rose bushes that were creating natural fence around the castle garden.
"Who is there?!" He said loudly and threateningly.
Odette quickly gazed in that direction, a little bit sad that he let go so soon, before she got off the swing and walked up to Lancelot who was just listening carefully. She also looked around, picking up her staff from the ground. "What is going on? Have you heard something?"
Lancelot just sighed. "I guess it is nothing... Maybe I just imagened..." He mumbled as he moved closer to her. He then whispered: "Please, go back to the castle. I'll sniff around a bit."
The girl just shook her head. "Nope. I'm staying here to watch your back. I can fight as well, you know." She said as she prepared to cast a spell. She sent a ball of condensed energy towards the bush.
A shadow then jumped out of the bush dodging her attack as it reformed into a human. There was a man with purple skin. He looked as if he was risen from the dead with ripped black pants and a long spear that had a kind of a purple glow. He had a big scar across his chest and his eyes were glowing very light yellow with a psychotic grin.
"Shit..." Lancelot muttered. "What is he doing here...?"
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