Once upon a time there was a beautiful prince. This prince was so beautiful that he could contend with the most gorgeous princesses of the realm. But we'll talk about him some other time. Right now is the time for another prince, named Eros, who was still cute too. He was a very rebellious prince and today was no different than the others. The young boy had taken off again... Eros rides off on his horse, into the woods until he is sure no one can see him anymore. There he climbs off his mount and ascends a tree, hiding in the thick foliage. Still he wears the royal jewels, simply because he hasn't had a chance to pull them off or hide them yet. He'll be sure to do that later so he has a better chance of hiding among the populace.
Somewhere, in a large, monstrous castle lives a youth who, even though he's labeled as cute and attractive, can get no woman at his side. He has lonely days, and nights as well. No one wants him, everyone flees when he arrives. An evil aura can almost be touched, felt as it pulsates around him.
In a lavish, lavish court, much like the fun Arabic mansions of old, Youji amuses himself in a tower, where, below him lies a huge Parcheesi board, covered with young beautiful contenders, lounging on columns. "Oi! You there! Move - over - two!" he cries from his place, and his command is obeyed. Sultrily he is fanned with a big leaf, which is somewhat amusing in itself for some reason as he lounges at the window. A young boy peels grapes for him. "No~! The -other- way! Next to the beauty with the gold-hair!" For the moment, it seems as if it would be just an ordinary, listless day for the prince, who is currently being fed some grapes.
The road was long for the young prince as he sought out a place to stay. As he walked along he tossed his jewels into bushes and hiding places, slowly disposing of them until all he had on were the normal clothes. Those still were above average, but he could pass for common folk. Eros keeps wandering through the woods until he runs into a town. The average town, overall. Peasantfolk, people bustling about, huge honking castle sitting in the middle... After all that walking he didn't feel much like hustling with the crowd, so he heads straight through towards the castle with just a small handful of jewelry left. Good for pawning.
The evil youth gets bored one day and suddenly decides to go out. His subordinates try restraining him, saying today feels like an unsafe day out, from what the divinator told them. He waves them off, literally, and they fly into the closest walls. "Since when did I trust the old fool? rain and even hail never bothered me!" he thunders, taking his heavy black cloak and heading to the stable.
Prince Youji is interrupted by a courier suddenly. "There has been a report that a young man approaches the castle, not one of ours..." he says with a strict bow to the other's back. Youji turns partially over. "Is that so?" he asks, unconcerned. "Is he cute?" The messenger sweatdrops and bows again. "Yes, we had the stenographer capture his image for you," he replies and holds out a slip of paper. "We knew it would be of some interest to you." Youji peers. "I see, well... What are you waiting for? Go collect him before somebody else does - I must see this boy close up!" he exclaims, and turns his attention back to Parcheesi. Grapes are better peeeeled....
Eros keeps heading towards the castle when a courier intercepts him. "I'm here to escort you to Prince Youji in the castle." the courier informs him. He's a little surprised at the quickness of his discovery... but notices the courier hadn't addressed him with any title, and establishes himself, "That will be satisfactory. But I am not a prince." The courier cocks an eyebrow at the random 'fact', but seems to be used to such oddities in life by now. He leads the not-a-prince to the castle.
So the titled 'evil' one takes off on his jet-black horse, inspiring whatever people he passes to just.. get out of the road. rain comes, but he escapes it by heading for the castle not far away. "Maybe I should pay a visit to this disgusting Prince.." who knows, he might get loaned a woman! On the way, he sees two men.. and one seems pretty enough. "Halt right there" he orders, his horse jumping high above Eros and his guide. The large black beast whirls around to face them, The youth's black cloak sent whirling at all winds. "I will borrow him, if you don't have any objections" he says, staring at the fear-stricken courier.
Youji has since bored of his Parcheesi game at the moment, having worked the participants up to the third level, narrowing them down. But he fell asleep. The messenger shows up again. "My lord!" he says, loudly. "Your prize has been seized!" Youji poings awake suddenly to realize he has a grape stuck up his nose. Surprised, he looks about for his grape boy... who must have stormed off when he fell asleep... again... He smiles to himself. After removing the grape. "What's this?" he asks the messenger, obviously oblivious. "Your prize has been seized!" the boy repeats. Youji squints a little. "Prize? Ohhh the boy!" A fire lights in his eyes, as he grabs his cloak, which is really nothing more than a silk drapery he likes to think is his cape... "I didn't even get a change to meet him! I have been..." he squints. Well -something's- just happened to him that he's not pleased about. "I shall meet this boy if it is the last thing I do!" He flourishes. Randomly. The messenger sweatdrops again. "Which dee-rection did he go in, my boy?!" he says haughtily. "West, sir." "Mount my steed, boy!" he exclaims, pointing to the ceiling. "I GO in pursuit!!" "Prince, about the horse, you mean--" he shakes his head, and orders for someone to equip his master's horse. Within the half-hour, Youji gallops with the idiocy of a thousand men in the general direction of "West".
Eros is greeted with an unexpected surprise. He finds himself rather kidnapped. No thanks to the courier, who had screamed and run away. His body is slung over the horse much like commonplace baggage. But this one won't go easily. Well, maybe easily, but he'll be a real big pain! "Where do you think you're taking me?!" he demands, glaring up at the black rider, "I'm trying to find a place to stay, I've been walking all day long! And I broke a nail, too! How am I supposed to relax in these conditions, your horse is way too rough, it's going to chafe my skin! If you want some jewelry you can't take it, I already had an escort to the castle so I don't need it!" He says this while bouncing up and down on the horse-ride as well, so some of the words are vibrated.
Nagi growls in annoyance. Okay, that's how it goes "You look nice" the too-deep voice resounds again. "However, as beautiful as you are, you would need to learn when to stop talking" he glares back at the other youth. "First, you can stay at my castle. Second, you're not walking anymore!! Third, I don't care about your broken nail, sissy. Fourth, don't insult my horse, it's rough exactly because you don't relax. Fifth, I have no use for your petty jewelry and sixth, I'm not taking you to that peahead's castle." so is that enough? They arrive at Nagi's castle finally, and after taking his horse to the stable, he drags the other into the large , monstrous building of black onyx, up in the tallest tower. As he goes through the all, a servant runs to him "The diviner said he saw an army coming towards here! What are we to do to ser-" of course Nagi cuts him "You all should get ready to battle. Even mere cooks can pin a fork in a foe's face!. For once this old fool gave a good warning, use it" cruel, isn't he?
Youji charges to the West on his white horse, upon which he has had a red racing stripe painted. "I -shall- be victorious!" he calls to the wind. It falls limply on heavy silence. "Sir, I don't know why you need me to come along..." Messenger-boy mopes. "I'm sure your majesty is quite capable of being victorious with out the likes of me." "Ahh, but if I fail, I can blame you! Don't worry, you'll keep your job." The messenger doesn't look happy. He rides over a crest, and stops his horse on a dime. They look into the charge of an army. "I didn't call for an army! I don't need an army! I shall be victorious! On my -own-!" "Sire--! They're not our troops!" ...You peabrain! Youji eeps. "Turn ye, turn ye you stupid horse! Run awaay!" And thus, Prince Youji gallops East again, having gone too far west anyway. His white horse flees ahead of an army of black and red, the horse's stripe flashing across the fields, even from a distance.
The poor, annoying but cute prince is now locked at the top of a dark tower. He blushes when the dark man had said he looked nice, but everything after that went downhill. So much for romance. He sits down boredly in the room, glancing about. Table, pen, ink, papyrus, bed, chair... Not too many things. He takes a seat at the stool and ponders over the paper... Luckily he had writing skills. He dips the feather into the ink, and starts writing out a nice message. "Dear anyone who is capable of reading in these days of high illiteracy, I am Prince Eros of the Southern castle. Currently I am being held captive at a big black onyx castle to the West in the really big tower. You can't miss it. Of course, if you find this paper, you'll pretty much already be here. So while you're here, I would be most grateful if you siege the castle and rescued me. Sincerely ~ Prince Eros" He folds up the papyrus, trying to make a paper airplane. When he finds that papyrus doesn't work so well that way, he gives up, crumples it into a ball, and throws it as far as he can out the barred window. He's high enough that it might actually make it over the wall anyway.
The black army, however, soon squabble among themselves "I'm tired of eating potatoes! Yes, we want grapes! Oh and tofu would be good too. But can we get any meat? Even raw?" The cooks retort they never had meat.. and an uproar ensues... Nagi of course sees this and heads outside. The mere sight of him, imposing respect at the top of his mere 5'3 of height, puts order back in the troops "If you win, we'll all have horse meat"...in 16 years when his horse dies and is useless...
Youji's horse is a speedy mo-fo, luckily, and he gets a jump on the army tailing them. "I really must find that boy before all hell breaks loose!" he exclaims at the foot of the walls of the Western Castle. Not that he seems to see it. "Um, sir. We seem to have reached the only castle in the vicinity. We passed it before but--" Youji looks up, astonished and glares at the other. "If you saw it, why didn't you tell me!?" he demands. The messenger slinks in his non-seat. "I didn't think you'd miss a -castle-!" "I -didn't- 'miss' the castle," Youji retorts with fists on his hips, mockingly. "I didn't think such a dump could be it, that's all," he says. He folds his arms and makes as if he will not be speaking to the other again, nose in the air. "Not that I even care - We're looking for a -boy-, not a castle." The messenger smacks his forehead. All is lost. It is at this moment a crumpled piece of papyrus chooses to smack Youji's upturned nose. Surprised, he opens it up. "Ah, it is from the boy! Oooo! His name is 'Eros!' This should be fun," he nearly giggles. "Uh, sir." "He wants to be rescued! No doubt this is indeed the place! I -knneww- it!" "Sir, the army." "Oiyaa! I'm so excited!" "FLEE, sir." Youji blinks in the direction of the charging army and makes an ooo...-face. He flees, looking for an entrance to the inner castle.
Eros has nothing to do now, but sit and wait. Yep, sit and wait. Lalala. He's just sitting, don't mind all those blankets innocently sitting on his lap. Quietly he starts knotting them together, not because of an escape plan, but because.. he can. Really. He sits and quietly ties them all together, ripping them in half as well so that he can make his rope even longer. Then it comes to his attention that this is the oldest escape plan in the book, and something has to be wrong with it because it never works. He inspects the blankets closer... and realizes the tag on them "Counterfeit Industrial! No! I can't escape with shoddy merchandise!"
Nagi did buy counterfeited crap for his servants and prisoners. The mattress is awfully comfortable, doubtless intent to be used for other purposes than sleeping. Which is just what he has in mind now as he takes the stairs to the tower and kicks the door opened after unlocking it. He glares down at the makeshift rope which ends up in cinders.. somehow "Thinking of an escape...?" Outside, his army charges with renewed confidence! horse meat!!!!!!!!
Youji is nearly caught in the cross-....armying. That messy clash of People as they hack each other to death. Nimbly, he avoids the black armies, and trots to a quiet area away from the fighting, in the shadow of the castle. "So, how would *you* propose we get inside?" he asks his messenger. The messenger peer at the sheer wall, and then along the ground. There seems to be a grate here. It looks big enough to crawl though. How bout that?" Youji stands tall, not being hard, since he -is- tall. "Ah, just my thoughts. You are a smart boy indeed." There is a long pause as they look at each other. "Well?" Youji asks. "You don't expect me to touch it? It might get in my hair..." The deed is so done, then, not by Youji but his little servant. Youji makes a scene with his horse, departing it like it was his best friend. The messenger wouldn't be surprised... "Goodbye, Super7GT..." He hugs the horse's neck. "Wait for us here!" Youji then stoops and takes the lead inside the walls. "Sir, don't get us lost..." Youji smiles though the other can't see it. "Ahh... no problem! I have the homings of a pigeon!" he announces, and ventures into the labyrinth of tunnels."
"Me? Escape? Why ever would I want to get out of this cold, dark room with cheap merchandise?" Eros asks sarcastically. No, he wasn't very good at behaving. Yes, he probably was going to get beat up. Maybe, just maybe a sad, dreamy scene would help. He wanders to the barred window with a soft sigh, placing his hand on it, "There is where I belong. Out in the world, where I can run free and be happy. In another castle that is better furnished." Despairingly he throws his arm up across his forehead and gazes out that window at all the little black spots running around on the ground. Hmm, what can be going on down there..? Eh, can't be anything important.
Nagi narrows his eyes "So my castle isn't furnished to your tastes? oh my.. maybe we should paint the roofs blue with cute little clouds! Oh and add nice potteries with flowers! Oh and a garden too.. NOT!!!!" he goes to the other and glares with midnight blue eyes "What do you expect me to do with you? Keep you here until you're a rotten useless corpse? No, I'll feed you to my army before you rot, in the meantime, however..." he runs one hand through the prisoner's hair, with a gentleness that could be surprising.
Youji & sidekick crawl though the maze. "Sir, you don't know where we're going do you?" he asks, sullenly. "We're going to die forgotten in the air ducts of some random evil prince, aren't we? Because we are, if you don't know exactly where we're going." Youji gives his winning smile. "Of course I do! Didn't I say I had the homings of a pigeon, before? Look, I have them right here-" he says, pausing a moment to pull them out. Four little boxes with the word "Homer" written on them. "Oh, no I was mistaken. I have the Homers of a pigeon." The messenger looks like his soul has fled. What. the hell. "Homer." Youji nods. "You see? The vent system is laid out in pentatonic hexameter, like the poems. That's why it's so long-winded in here. I mean long -and- winding. A pigeon brought it to me." The messenger looks... just not good. "When?" he asks weakly. Youji beams. "Why, before we left, silly!" With this, and his four little Homer-Maps, they work their way through the maze with speed, if grace is a little lacking.
Eros shudders at the hand, both surprised and... wary. "In the meantime..?" he echoes, waiting for the sentence to be finished. Maybe he could fool the other by finishing it himself! Brilliant! "In the meantime you've prepared a bath for me..? How nice, I'll go take it right now, and you can just, leave me there all by myself for awhile. I won't run or anything." Indeed, he'll never suspect that he plans to run while he's left all alone! Not in a million years! He poses sweetly with an arm stretched behind his head and the other arm lax against his side, hand on the very beginning of his leg. "That's so nice of you!" he declares, batting his eyes fervently.
Nagi isn't going to be fooled like that... he has 18 in the Intel slot! "No bath for today, you see the water-warmer man is battling outside, I can't offend a guest with a cold watered bath" the hand goes from hair to ear to the contours of his face and finally the tip of his chin, then the evil man stills his hand, the chin gripped firmly, leaving no doubts to the following action. He advances his head, their lips almost coming in contact. Youji manages to turn a scream-of-falling into a battle cry, right before he hits the ground, with something that sounds more like a splat than it should. Nimbly, the messenger hangs from the duct and drops down. "Good work, Prince Youji-kun!" he says chipperly. Youji manages to stand, somewhat drunkenly. "UnHAND that boy!" he says, tucking away his Homer-Maps. He's not exactly a commanding sight, having just splatted, and still recovering, but his tousled look at least manages to make him look sexy. Wee, points for him. "Or fear my wrath!" he says. "Never fear," he says to Eros, his strength returning. "-I- shall -saaave- youu!"
Eros is staring wide-eyed at the evil, evil man, seeing as how he's already backed against a window and doesn't have very far to go when his, um, hero arrives. Who was he, anyway? Eros leans as far back as he can and tries to peek over the not very tall villain, "Someone got my letter? Great!" He sweeps his hand in front of his mouth and wiggles his fingers in a little 'baibai' wave, "Gomen, but I have to go now!"
Nagi sighs heavily, lazily turning around "Oh, a knight in shining armor.. really.. should I be afraid or something...? Thing is, you shouldn't enter other's residence without knocking. Here, let me show you how" he clenches a fist and.. if he swings it, somehow the whole room will shake and the three others will end up being graciously flung back a foot. Yes, nice darn EVIL powers.
Youji makes a wild leap at Nagi sensing evil afoot. Or in his hand, at least. "RAWR!" His 'cape' flutters behind him as he leaps, the sheer and expensive drapery flitting with the movement. "GOOD SHALL usually PREVAIL!" he cries as he tries to take the other down with brute force of his lanky tallness. Sheer expanse of person. Tall person.
Nagi gets squished by lanky tall person!? Uwaah! He gets taken to the floor and... bangs his head pretty hard on the floor, as well as his nose and.. jaw. Pain shots through him and he brings a hand up. The idiot brought one of his teeth loose and it hurts like heck. All the fight is drained from him, pain invading his brain and easily winning against his struggling hormones. Nagi is beaten! Nooo! Beaten by his own tooth! The shame! The shaaaaaame!
Eros is flung. Straight into the wall that was right behind him. He hits it hard and falls into a slump on the ground. It's apparent he's not unconscious when he rubs the back of his head painfully. Shaking off he tries to stand up, falling flat on his butt again. He is, however, still able to hear quite clearly, "Don't you mean good ALWAYS prevails!" He notes that the other even put the emphasis on the wrong words! This gave him a bad feeling about his rescuer. Maybe he'd be better off here with the powerful overlord and the bad furniture...
Youji stands triumphant over the body of his fallen enemy. "Of *course* that's what I meant!" he says gleefully. He bounds happily over to the boy. "I have rescued you!" he announces, gathering him up in his arms and springing out the door. "To my speedster!" he cries! The messenger sighs, but thinks too it's best they flee while the Dark Prince is down.
Eros allows himself to be swept away by the tall, strange man that isn't very bright. He smiles half-heartedly. Well, he was rescued. Sort of. But now what. Another castle with bad furniture? Papyrus that is incapable of being folded into a paper airplane? And counterfeit material? He runs a finger through the prince's hair, "Well... hero, I hope that you have some -decent- furniture at your humble little abode..."
"Ah," he says as he runs. "Every kind of the most luxurious expense one can imagine, my prize!" he says most endearingly. "I shall swaddle you in silks and sheer until you believe your body to be in clouds!" he says joyfully, making his way out into the courtyard.
The young prince finds this agreeable, and so the two ride into the sunset back to the pearly white castle. Then, the messenger informs them they should be at the OTHER castle. So they turned around and galloped into the sunset, the light blinding them as they did so, until they reached the castle and lived happily ever after. Or so you THINK.