So, I was trying to quit, and did well for about half a year...but then I made the mistake of rereading one of the two mangas I actually bother with.
This is what happened. Blame CLAMP, devchieftain over at Livejournal, and Greek mythology for all being so awesome and inspiring me.
I think we've made it clear who this really belongs to.
Please review constructively, but reviews in general are appreciated...
"I am the strongest!" he cried.
Man after man, black shape after black shape – they all rushed to their deaths. One after another, they charged Kurogane, and all fell before him. Madness glinted in the warrior's eyes as he slayed foe after foe, disregarding where he took his battle. Then –
"Stop this insanity," ordered an imperious voice. And Kurogane, to his anger, was unable to move.
He stared ahead. Just inches away from the dripping blade of his sword was his own ruler, the Princess Tomoyo. Horrified, he tried to sheath the blade and bow, but found he could not. Tomoyo smiled at him.
"I think you have the wrong idea about strength, Kurogane," Tomoyo rebuked him gently. "Once again, you didn't do what I asked." To his dismay, he could detect amusement of all things in her face. It frightened him, as it would any who knew the princess well enough. She wasn't just wise and cunning – she was malicious. "I asked you to avoid unnecessary death."
Kurogane glared at his princess, whose countenance was laden with over-dramatic disappointment. "What the hell are you doing to me?" he demanded. Tomoyo chuckled in her maddening way.
"It is true – there are none in my kingdom who are more powerful than you," she told him cheerfully. "That leaves me no choice." She stepped forward, suddenly going curiously taut. Kurogane realized belatedly that she was performing magic.
"The hell?" he muttered. In the air, tendrils of Tomoyo's magic were gathering around him. It was a very disconcerting sensation.
Tomoyo smiled kindly at him. "It is obvious that you won't learn any more here," she told him. "And as they once said, the bad ones must journey to get better." The lines of magic closed in on him. "So, a curse for you. Until you learn for yourself the true meaning of strength, you shall not travel any road to my kingdom, nor cross any border in the wilderness." She grinned now. "And do try to avoid killing too many people in your haste."
Something was pulling at him from inside this tightening cage of magic. "What are you expecting me to do?" he yelled at his princess.
"I don't know. Perhaps you ought to speak to the Priestess of Artemis in Tocheo," she said, before the ground sucked Kurogane into the most terrifying place he'd even been in.
He was spat out of the swirling vortex on a roadside, next to a sign proclaiming the border.
I've got to get back, he thought angrily, taking a step forward.
He walked straight into a pliable but present barrier. Try what he would, he could not advance past the border. Realizing the futility of his task, Kurogane sat down again to decide what he'd do.
Recalling what Tomoyo had said about the Priestess in Tocheo, he looked south down the road. It meandered through green hills and towards distant mountains. Tocheo was about eight days' journey on horseback from the castle, but that was cut short by at least one day.
I'll try this Priestess, Kurogane concluded. Maybe she'll know what kind of "true meaning of strength" Princess Tomoyo meant.
The Temple of Artemis in Tocheo was situated on a particularly lush green hill, surrounded by sacred trees and lesser shrines. Kurogane had grown used to being on his own for the past seven days, and was vaguely surprised to be in close proximity with other people all of a sudden. It was an irritating sensation.
His hike up the temple was only slightly slowed by other humans, to his annoyance. It would have been nice to yell at someone. Soon enough, however, he was out of the area of human inhabitance entirely, and the only others near him were the trees, looming on either side of the road. He reached the temple in little time.
It appeared deserted. The temple was constructed entirely of white marble, with a courtyard sporting a finely carved statue of the goddess herself and a few smaller images of the hunt and the moon. To a more sensitive or artistic soul, it would have been beautiful. To Kurogane, it was a waste of material.
Unsatisfied, he entered through the archway directly across from the main entrance into a pillared room dimly lit only by the archways to the outside and a few braziers burning expensive woods. A woman was leaning against one of the pillars.
Kurogane's eyes narrowed. This had to be the priestess, dressed like that. No other woman would have the audacity.
"You are the Priestess of Artemis?" he asked, to be sure.
"I have been called that," said she. "Along with a great many other names. What is it you seek?" Before Kurogane could respond, she continued with the raise of an eyebrow. "Many others come here – but if you find yourself entering my temple, you must have something you desire."
"I'd like to return home," he muttered. "You don't have to tell me that."
"I heard that!" the priestess told him, looking a little too evil for his own good. He sighed. Trust Tomoyo to send him to someone just as horribly twisted as she…
"But you know very well you can't do that, as you are. And if I were to change you…" Her smile suddenly vanished. "Only you can change yourself. All I can do is help."
Kurogane glared sullenly at the self-satisfied priestess. Her words had a ring of truth, but also in a great lack of sympathy. "So what can I do to get back?"
The priestess smiled predatorily. "I can do something to help you there…for a price," she replied enigmatically. "It's quite a great deal of work, though. Are you willing?" She eyed his expression of impatience and only smiled more.
It was probably a bad idea to trust this woman. But Kurogane lacked an alternative. "What's the price?" he growled after a moment's pause.
"Here's the arrangement," the priestess began. "You will go to work for the king of a nearby country. You will do him…let's say, twelve favors. And then your wish will be granted." She stood up and walked to an archway facing west, where the sun was becoming just slightly visible from within. "The country I speak of is only a short way from here. You should reach it by nightfall, if you choose to go."
There was something off about this statement. "How will you do that?" he demanded.
"I have my ways," she said. "Ohoho, yes."
She even had Tomoyo's laugh. Except somehow, it was even more sinister.
Kurogane didn't trust this woman at all. He also had his doubts about the process of changing himself. He didn't particularly want to be changed, and furthermore couldn't see what was wrong with him in the first place. He wasn't perfect, of course – but he just did his job. On the other hand, if he didn't do something, he would never return home.
There was no real choice. "I'll do it," he decided grumpily. "But it had better work." He couldn't think of an appropriate threat. There wasn't much one could do to a priestess without inviting disaster, so he settled for glaring menacingly.
The priestess simply chuckled again, which Kurogane was sure was only to spite him. "I thought you might agree," she said.