Chapter Text
“Kakashi!”
Kakashi’s eyes stopped mid-sentence. His shoulders slumped. He did not turn to face the other man. “Guy, not today.”
“Of course today,” Guy belted out as he strode to his friend’s side. “I will challenge you every day until we are equals, then every day after that until I’ve surpassed you! For-”
Kakashi mouthed along with the rest of the usual speech. You are my eternal rival. And eternity is forever! Guy did not see this. He was gesturing into eternity, which appeared to be somewhere high over the Southern Mountain range.
“Besides,” Guy went on, “I have to repay you for saving my life.”
“That was one time, Guy! And you know I don’t believe in life debts. You have my permission to go live your life, somewhere else.” Kakashi gestured with his new book in a shooing motion to emphasize his point. He returned to his book, hoping the conversation was over.
“So gallant and calm,” Guy replied. “It was no less than three times that you saved me!”
Ever since the end of the war, Kakashi had roamed from village to town to settlement, searching out books to read that grabbed his attention. This one had a simple binding but the words were copied clearly. The beginning was promising and he’d been looking forward to reading it. Unfortunately his brother-in-arms, Guy, had been dogging his steps the whole way. Guy had decided that Kakashi was “the best” and only the best would do as Guy’s rival.
Kakashi thought he’d finally given Guy the slip in the last town where his green clothed friend had picked up a hanger-on of his own. However, after only two days around this village, Guy had caught up. No doubt he would now challenge Kakashi to some ridiculous contest.
The villagers parted around the pair like they were boulders in their river. They were on the main road and disrupting the market traffic. Guy was causing a scene besides.
“Mah, let’s settle this a little ways out of town,” Kakashi suggested.
“Good idea my rival!”
The unlikely pair, one wearing vibrant green, the other in subtle blues and browns, headed into a meadow.
“I challenge you,” Guy declared, “to a footrace.”
Kakashi pocketed his book. “Guy, promise me something.”
“Anything my rival!”
Well that was easy. “After this challenge, please try to live your own life.”
Guy’s face fell and Kakashi regretted his words, if not his tone. Kakashi trusted Guy more than anyone and he was a dear friend. And that was exactly why he needed to stay away. Kakashi believed that he was not someone worth knowing, despite what Guy said.
“I will…try, my rival.”
Guy’s subdued voice had the tone of a kicked puppy. Remorse sunk its teeth into Kakashi’s heart. He did his best to shake it off.
“So about this footrace,” Kakashi prompted. One race shouldn’t kill his best friend.
Guy perked up. “Yes! This is a beautiful countryside that appears to have a castle as its crown jewel.” Guy gestured into the distance. “I challenge you to a race: to the castle and back, to say, the village mill?”
Kakashi turned and squinted. Several miles in the distance, perched on a foothill of the mountain range, was the castle of which Guy spoke. It appeared to be square, with large round towers on each corner and a gatehouse in front. Kakashi frowned at it. This close to the border, it had to be one of the old outposts.
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea. The villagers warned me that a beast lives in that castle.” Kakashi had planned to give the castle a wide berth. The look on the baker’s face when Kakashi had mentioned it said enough. The whole village was terrified of the place. Although Kakashi knew country folk to be superstitious, they were also hardy and practical people. Their fear wasn’t usually born without reason.
Remembering the ghostly look of the baker, Kakashi failed to see the gleam in Guy’s eye. “Then we’ll slay this beast as well and rid the villagers of the creature! Come on!” With that, Guy took off.
Kakashi balked but not at the pace. Even considering that the run would be uphill, they had nothing close to the gear they’d carried during the war.
“Guy, wait!” But Guy was already cresting the nearest grassy hill. Kakashi sighed and took off after him.
Miles later and dusty from the cross country run, Guy and Kakashi reached their first real obstacle. The river they’d been following up through the forest had been a guide but was now a barrier. The two streams flowing down from the mountain encircled the castle grounds before joining into one large river that weaved through the village.
First Guy, then Kakashi ran up to the bank. The rushing water promised a long trip around with no guarantee of a way over. The river was too wide to jump and the gully was deep. The gentle stream flowing through the village that powered the mill was born from these swift torrents of icy water running down from the mountains. Kakashi looked at the swirling current with concern.
“Maybe we should head back,” Kakashi panted.
When their breathing was less labored, Guy pointed, “see rival? A way across.”
Kakashi followed Guy’s gesture to a downed tree that spanned the river. They ran to it.
Before Kakashi could offer more of a protest, Guy was across. He called back, “you can only head back to the mill once you’ve touched the castle door!”
Guy hurried away. Kakashi sighed and tested the log with one foot. It appeared to be sound. He shrugged and walked across before resuming his run. No need to let Guy think he can win. After all, what harm could come from touching a castle door?
The river must have bordered the castle grounds because soon they stumbled onto a half-crumbled perimeter wall. There was also a dilapidated stone path that led to the gatehouse of the castle. Guy was already on it and Kakashi dashed after him. Occasional stones had crumbled, sunk, or been pushed loose by the heaving of the ground as the seasons changed. Kakashi watched his footing on the unsure path as he sprinted after Guy.
As they approached the castle on the decrepit track, Kakashi heard a long shrill whistle carried over the air. He couldn’t tell where it was coming from but it made him uneasy. He picked up his pace.
Guy was still ahead of Kakashi. He passed between the gatehouse towers and under the outer gate with its gaping jaws. The castle doors loomed ahead, twelve feet tall and made of wood reinforced by iron bars.
There were no childish taunts now. Guy ran up to the doors and reached out to push off and race Kakashi back to the village. However, when Guy’s hand made contact with the door, it fell open under the pressure. Guy flew through the entrance and out of sight.
Even though he was looking right at it, Kakashi couldn't see beyond the doorway through the blackness inside. He passed under the gate and continued to the door, slowing a bit, cautious. Kakashi waited for Guy to pop up, laughing at himself. Nothing happened. The door remained ajar, the inside dark and gaping, like a hungry mouth.
Kakashi frowned and adrenalin quickened his steps. He ran straight through the door without hesitating again. Guy either needed his help or he was exploring the entrance hall. Either way, Kakashi wanted him in his sights. If Guy wandered off into a castle, even an older and more reasonably sized one like this, Kakashi would have a hard time finding him.
Kakashi’s eyes needed only a moment to adjust and that was almost too long. Guy, using only his hands, was dodging to defend against a swordsman in the dim entrance hall. Another person was on the floor grabbing at Guy’s feet, attempting to trip him. Kakashi ran for Guy but the prone man jumped up and then ducked away from the swinging sword. When Kakashi paused to see what he’d do, the second man drew his sword and flung it at Kakashi. What the-?
Kakashi dodged the hand and a half sword as it flipped by. It clattered to the ground somewhere behind him. He didn’t have a chance to locate it because he felt rather than saw a fifth presence enter the room. His eyes locked on a far doorway as an even darker shape emerged from the gloom. They were too far back from the light to see, but the feel of them made Kakashi’s hair stand on end.
“How dare you enter my castle?” A chilling voice demanded.
Guy and his assailant froze at the sound. Kakashi stared in shock while his attacker cowered next to him.
“Uh,” Guy was dumbfounded, either that or he was trying to think of an explanation that sounded more intelligent than the truth. Two grown men don’t just fall into castles.
“It was a mistake.” Kakashi was surprised to hear his own voice addressing this creature. “We’ll go now.”
“You may go,” the creature replied. “But he has injured my guard.” It addressed the other man. “Throw the green one in the dungeon!”
The guard, who Kakashi now noticed had short silver hair, was bleeding from the nose. The man sheathed his sword and grabbed ahold of Guy. The creature glided forward, its intentions unclear.
Kakashi felt a bolt of panic rush through him. His gear, the lack of which had made the run so easy, was now sorely missed. What Kakashi wouldn’t do for just his sword. He mentally grasped his panic, wrestled it under control, and stepped between Guy and that thing. “Wait.” Kakashi scrambled to come up with a plan but his first solution seemed the best. His spine straightened. “Take me instead.”
The creature, which was cloaked in long matted fur, stopped short. The cape of fur shifted in a confused-like movement. “Why?”
“Well he’s constantly saying I’m better than him,” Kakashi began, struggling to come up with a reason other than the truth. He would rather die than see Guy in the hands of that thing. Vibrant, ridiculously optimistic Guy? In captivity? The idea was repulsive.
Kakashi’s brain rapidly sorted through possible strategies. He had no idea what motivated the creature. Was it going to use Guy for entertainment? Was it going to eat him? Was Guy supposed to teach it to read? Kakashi had taught Guy to read so he was definitely more qualified.
“No,” the creature growled and Kakashi’s mouth snapped shut. “Why would you offer to take his place?”
Kakashi stared at where the creature seemed to be looking out at him through the mass of hair. His courage fully awoke as if from a long sleep. “I guess you’ll need to take me instead and find out.” There was a beat of silence. “Let Guy go free, and I’ll stay, you have my word.”
“Kakashi,” Guy gasped in horror.
“Why shouldn’t we keep both of you?” The injured man argued. His bleeding nose muffled his gruff voice.
The beast never looked away from Kakashi’s steady gaze. The whole mass of hair shifting in a nodding motion. Then, “Ao.” The injured man tensed at the sharpness of the address. “Shut up or I’ll kill you.”
“Chojuro,” the beast continued, and the other man seemed to cringe into himself, trying to disappear. “Tie the green one into one of the boats and see that he floats back to the village unharmed.”
Chojuro tried to grab Guy but the man in green was already trying to break away. Ao snarled, whether at Chojuro’s ineptitude or at Guy’s attempt to escape was unclear. Both men grabbed Guy and bodily lifted him, carrying him to the door.
Guy thrashed in their arms. “Kakashi, I won’t let you do this!”
“Remember what I said Guy!” Kakashi called back. He still hadn’t looked away from the creature. Live a good life, my friend.
The struggling trio made their way out as the man called Ao drew his sword again. Kakashi tensed at seeing it but the three marched out without bloodshed, presumably to the boat house. The castle door banged behind them ominously, plunging the entrance into darkness.
Kakashi and the beast regarded each other in the dim room. Now that the light from outside wasn’t so overpowering, Kakashi could see there were two candelabras lit. They didn’t provide much light but it was enough for the stare-down to continue. Kakashi thought he saw the glint of green eyes as the beast turned.
“This way to the dungeons.” The voice was flat, its owner seemed weary.
Kakashi followed, wondering at the creature. Before, he could have sworn that the beast had been taller. Now as they walked along, he saw that it was actually shorter than him.
A thin claw reached out to pick up another candelabra off a rickety table. Holding the flames well away from its overwhelming mane, the creature descended a stone spiral staircase. Kakashi followed, watching his footing. The last thing he wanted to do, besides live in a castle with this thing forever, was to trip into it.
At the bottom of the stairs, there was a long corridor of stone cells with iron doors. The beast seemed to choose one at random, opened the door, and gestured for Kakashi to enter. The retired soldier ducked through the low frame but the door slammed shut before he was completely inside. He jumped to get away as he was scooted in. A key clanked in the lock.
“I meant what I said,” Kakashi spoke, making the beast pause. “I gave my word. I won’t try to escape.”
The beast huffed and shuffled away without a word.
Before the light was gone, Kakashi got a good look at his cell, which didn’t take much of a look. It was completely bare and made of stones on all sides except the door. Once it was dark, its main feature became apparent: it was chilly.
As Kakashi began to shiver, he wished he had his cloak but he didn’t regret his situation. He wouldn’t go back on his word and he was more than willing to trade his life for a friend’s. What he didn’t know was what the beast had in store for him.
Based on their limited interaction, Kakashi was confident the beast didn’t want to eat him. He theorized that the creature was intrigued by him. If that was true, then all he had to do was keep the beast interested and he’d get to stay alive. The problem was he didn’t know what the beast found so interesting. Kakashi sighed and brushed his fingers over the spine of his new book. He wished he had a light to read by.
Kakashi sat down in the back of his cell, touching the walls and floor as little as possible. Outside it was well into springtime but in the dungeons the winter chill clung to every stone. He settled in for a long night.
000She’s the Beast000
The miller stopped his work when he heard the calls. More than once a child had fallen into the river and he’d had to fish them out before they were swept downstream. There was nothing beyond the mill but the winding route to the lake, over a mile away.
He hurried outside and was surprised to see a rowboat floating along. There didn’t appear to be anyone paddling but the bellows couldn’t be ignored. He grabbed his long pole, hooked the boat, and pulled it ashore. Now that he could see inside the boat, there was a man, bound and lying in the bottom.
“What happened to ya?” The miller asked, confused.
“Please, you have to help,” the stranger babbled. “The beast has my friend, my eternal rival! We have to go rescue him! Thank you,” Guy added at the end when the miller cut him free.
The miller stared. “The beast up at the castle?”
“Yes! That’s exactly the one! My rival and I were partaking in a footrace and the door to the castle was the halfway point. But when I fell in the door, there was a beast and some men and they were going to imprison me but my rival took my place and we have to save him!”
The miller pondered this. His voice was slow and plodding compared to Guy’s words galloping over each other. “Well you’ll have a hard time findin’ anyone willing to go ta that castle, much less take on a beast. Did ya see the creature?”
“Yes,” Guy declared, then second-guessed himself. “Well, no, not really. It kept to the shadows. It was more like a figure.”
The miller raised an eyebrow.
“It’s true! It has my eternal rival!”
“Son, I’ve never seen ya before, much less your friend. How do I even know he’s real?”
Guy frowned. “Well I just arrived in town but my rival’s been here for several days. He is tall, pale, has silver hair that he’s let grow shaggy, and a scar over his left eye.”
The miller considered that. “Seems ta me I do remember seein’ a fellow like that ‘round.” He frowned. “Still, you’ll have ta go appeal to the militia commander if ya wanna attack that castle. I doubt anyone ‘round here is willing ta try.”
“Isn’t there a local peacekeeper?” Guy asked, aghast.
“Well there’s old Tom,” the miller said. “But he’ll prob’ly say the castle’s ‘out of his jurisdiction’.” The miller’s tone suggested that many things were apparently outside old Tom’s jurisdiction.
“Then I’ll go to the militia commander,” Guy declared. “I will not rest until my rival is rescued! He would do the same for me. How far?”
“Oh, at least a month’s walk jus’ ta get there, two if ya run inta weather.”
Guy’s face fell. “But this village! What would you do if you were attacked? We aren’t that far from the border.”
“Well it use’ ta be that we’d go ‘ that castle for protection. There was a noblewoman, a veteran, who was meant ta take it over but we never saw her. I suppose if she ever was there, the beast has her now.”
Guy clenched a fist. “I don’t care how long it takes. I will not let my friend down. Which way to the militia outpost?”