Tacuma

Happy Birthday Tezuka!! ^__^ I wanted to write you a proper fic, but my muse was gone and the plotbunnies left me >_<

I hope everybody will enjoy the second chapter of Prince of the Rings instead ^_^


Title: The Prince of the Rings
Writer: tacuma811
Pairing: Perfect Pair, Golden Pair, Ah-Un Pair, Emerald Pair
Chapter: 2/?
Genre: AU, fantasy, angst, romance
Rating: PG-13 maybe
Word count: 2392 words
Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis, nor do I own the Lord of the Rings.

A/N: Do I still have to say that my beta (akiko88) is better than yours? XD

Previous chapters: Chapter 1

The Prince of the Rings – Chapter 2

In the darkness of the night, Echizen, Momoshiro, Oishi and Eiji saw the lights of Bree. They were drenched by the rain, tired from running from the Black Rider and scared. A thick hedge surrounded the village, to protect it from enemies. Echizen knocked at the gate. A few moments later the door was opened by the gatekeeper.

‘What do you want?’ asked the man.

‘We’re going to the Prancing Pony,’ answered Oishi politely when he saw Echizen wasn’t about to answer.

The gatekeeper swung his lantern towards the Hobbits, bathing them in yellow light.

‘Hobbits. Four Hobbits. What business brings you to Bree?’

‘None of your business,’ answered Echizen, before Oishi could utter a word.

‘I didn’t want to offend you,’ said the gatekeeper as he opened the gate, and let the four Hobbits in. ‘It’s my job to ask questions. There are strange people out there. Can’t be too careful.’

Echizen and the others entered the town, and searched for the Prancing Pony. Nervously they made their way through the village, while the tall folk of Bree loomed over them, and huge buildings towered above them. In one of the busy streets they finally saw a sign saying ‘Prancing Pony Inn’. The four cold Hobbits hurried inside.

‘Hey,’ said Echizen to attract the attention of the Inn’s keeper who was laughing with some of his customers.

‘Good evening little masters,’ said the man. ‘If you’re seeking accommodation, we’ve got some nice, cosy Hobbit sized rooms available, Mr…?’

‘Koshimae,’ answered Echizen.

‘Koshimae-san, very well. My name is Ohtori Choutaro. Are you interested in one of our rooms?’

‘No, I’m looking for Inui Sadaharu, the grey Wizard. Tell him we’ve arrived.’

The Inn’s keeper frowned. ‘Inui…Inui. Oh, yes, I remember him. Black hair, square glasses, and always scribbling something down. I haven’t seen him in six months.’

‘Damned old man,’ muttered Echizen.

The four of them seated themselves at one of the tables in the corner, trying to remain quiet, and inconspicuous. The Inn was smoky, noisy, crowded, and dimly lit. People of Bree, a few Hobbits and a couple of Dwarfs were talking, laughing and singing. Oishi looked around nervously.

‘Don’t worry Oishi, Inui will come,’ said Eiji. ‘He probably didn’t want to go out with this bad weather. Can’t blame him for that.’

‘You’re right,’ answered Oishi with a smile.

Momo, who had left to get himself a drink, sat down at the table again with a huge mug of beer. ‘Look at how big this pint is!’ he shouted happily.

‘I want one too!’ said Eiji and he immediately stood up to get a pint as well.

‘Eiji, you drank half of that already,’ said Oishi, but the redhead didn’t hear him anymore. Oishi sighed. ‘Echizen, did you notice that the man in the corner keeps staring at you?’

Both Echizen and Momoshiro looked at the corner Oishi was talking about. A man was sitting alone at a table in the far corner. He was peering at them from under a dark cowl.

‘Let’s ask Ohtori-san who he is,’ said Momo, and he beckoned the Inn’s keeper.

‘That’s one of the Rangers. They’re said to be dangerous people, wandering in the woods. I don’t know his real name, but here he is known as Strider,’ told Ohtori.

‘Strider. That sounds kind of cool,’ answered Momoshiro. Oishi thanked the man. Meanwhile Echizen was toying with the Ring. Eiji was sitting at the bar, talking with some locals.

‘Echizen? Yes, I know an Echizen,’ the redhead answered to a question of one of the men. ‘He is sitting over there. He is one of my friends!’

‘Eiji!’ shouted Oishi.

Echizen stood up to tell the red haired Hobbit to shut up. He grabbed Eiji’s arm, but when Eiji pushed back, the black-haired Hobbit stumbled backwards, and fell on the floor. The Inn fell silent, and most of the people looked up to see what happened.

The Ring slipped from Echizen’s hand and when he tried to grab it, it slipped on his stretched finger. That instant Echizen vanished.

Far away the Black Riders turned, around and made their way to Bree.

Oishi looked around worriedly, while Momoshiro and Eiji tried to distract the other customers. Without the Hobbits noticing Echizen appeared again, under one of the tables. At that moment two strong hands grabbed the collar of Echizen’s coat, and pushed him roughly against the wall. When the Hobbit looked up, he saw the Ranger that had been staring at him.

‘You let your guard down, Koshimae-san,’ said the Ranger as he pulled the Hobbit to one of the rooms of the Inn.

‘You have to be careful with the thing you’re carrying.’

‘I’m not carrying anything, old man!’ answered Echizen.

‘Indeed.’

At that moment the three other Hobbits slammed the door open, and ran in, shouting and pointing at the Ranger with chair and candleholders.

‘Show yourself, and put your hands up!’ shouted Momoshiro.

The man pulled off his cowl. Dark brown hair and a pair of hazel eyes with glasses were revealed.

‘He doesn’t look like a Ranger,’ said Eiji as he lowered the knife. ‘He has no beard, no long wild hair and he isn’t dirty.’

‘I think he looks cool!’ said Momo. ‘He is tall and strong. I want to be like that and protect Echizen on this journey.’

‘I don’t need your protection,’ answered Echizen.

‘Against the Black Riders no one can protect you,’ said Strider. ‘And that is exactly what you attracted while wearing the Ring. We can’t wait for the Wizard. They’re coming.’

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The Black Riders turned around as soon as they felt the Ring’s call. They drove to Bree as fast as they could. The rain had stopped when they arrived at the small city. Their horses kicked their front legs against the gate, knocking it down. They entered the city, searching for the Ring.

They made their way into the Prancing Pony and went to the Hobbit room, where four beds were occupied. The Black Riders drew their swords slowly, without making any sound, and stabbed the piles of pillows that were hidden underneath the blankets to make it look like Hobbits were sleeping there.

The Ringwraiths let out a loud and frustrated shriek when they found out that the Hobbits weren’t in the beds. In another room, Momo, Oishi and Eiji woke up because of their screams. The three of them had been sleeping in Striders bed, while the Ranger himself and Echizen sat next to the window, looking at the Ringwraiths in the room across theirs.

‘What are they?’ asked Echizen.

‘They were once Men,’ answered Strider. ‘Great kings of Men. Then Chinen Hiroshi gave them Nine Rings of Power. Blinded by their greed they all took them, without question, one by one falling into darkness. Now they are slaves to his will.’

Striders looked down, watching the Ringwraiths gallop down the streets of Bree, leaving the small town.

‘They are the Nazgul, Ringwraiths, neither living nor dead. At all times they feel the presence of the ring...drawn to the power of the one…they will never stop hunting you.’

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

The next day Strider took the four Hobbits away from Bree very early in the morning. He had given all of them a small sword, so they could defend themselves if that would be necessary. They walked for a few hours through the wilderness without meeting a single person. In a few days they would reach Rivendell.

When Strider stood still for a moment, Momo and Eiji sat down, ready to prepare some food.

‘We’re not stopping yet,’ said Strider. ‘We’ll make a camp at Weathertop by nightfall.’

‘What about breakfast?’ asked Momo.

‘You already had breakfast,’ answered the Ranger.

‘What about second breakfast?’ asked Momoshiro, more worried this time. Strider turned around and started walking again.

‘Mada mada dane,’ said Echizen with a grin. His grin disappeared when an apple hit his head. Now it was the black-haired Hobbit’s time to grin. He picked up the apple and started to eat it. Echizen caught a second apple that was flying his way. Eiji begged if he could have it, but Echizen refused and took a bite before he followed their guide.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Yanagi Renji stood over the Palantir, his hands cupping the massive eye.

‘The power of Isengard is at your command, Chinen Hiroshi, Lord of the Earth.’

It became dark and strange sounds were heard.

‘Build me an army worth of Mordor.’

Yanagi seated himself on his throne when his Orc Overseer entered the room.

‘What are the orders from Mordor, my Lord,’ asked the Orc. ‘What does the eye command?’

‘We have work to do,’ answered Yanagi.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

Inui laid unconscious on a cold obsidian floor. He opened his eyes, woken up by the sound of ripping and tearing. Slowly the Wizard sat down on his knees and lifted his head. He slowly stood up, finding that he stood on top of the Orthanc, the tall tower of Isengard. There is no way he can go. He is surrounded on all sides by a sheer 500 feet drop. Inui crossed quickly to the edge, looking down, seeing how Orcs ripping the once so beautiful trees from Isengard from the ground and how they hacked into the trunk with their axes.

xXxXxXxXxXxXxXx

After walking for hours the Hobbits and the Ranger finally reached Weathertop. The Hobbits made themselves comfortable in the ancient ruin on top of the hill while Strider left again to check on their surroundings. Soon the Hobbits fell asleep. The night fell and after a few hours of sleep Momo woke up because he stomach was grumbling. It woke Eiji up as well. They looked at each other and grinned. It was time for food! They made a little fire, and warmed up some of their food.

The voices and the smell of food woke Oishi up. He quickly sat up as he noticed what was going on.

‘What are you doing?!’ he asked.

‘Tomatoes, sausages and crispy bacon!’ answered Momoshiro happily. ‘We have some for you too!’

‘Put it out you fools! Put it out!’ said Oishi as he desperately tried to put out the fire with his foot.

‘Oh, that’s nice,’ complained Eiji, ‘ash on my tomatoes!’

When the fire was put out, Oishi peeked down the hill and saw something move. Five Ringwraiths moved unnaturally fast.

‘They’re coming! shouted Oishi. ‘The Ringwraiths, the Black Riders, they’ve found us!’

Echizen woke up because of Oishi’s panic attack. When he noticed what was going on he quickly stood up and grabbed his sword.

‘We’ll have to fight,’ he simply stated.

The other Hobbits took their swords as well. The four of them stood close together as they waited for their enemies to appear. It didn’t take long. A few moments later one by one the five Ringwraiths entered the old ruin on Weathertop. They took their swords and approached the Hobbits. They simply pushed aside Eiji and Oishi. Momoshiro wasn’t strong enough either. He tried to use his sword, but the black creatures were so much stronger.

Now that Echizen stood face to face with one of the Nazgul, and now they came closer and closer, he panicked. He took the Ring from his pocket, and put it on his finger. Immediately he disappeared, but the Ringwraiths could still see him. The One Ring called for them.

One of the black Riders pointed his sword at Echizen. The Hobbit stepped back and fell. He crawled away, but ended up in a corner with no way out. The dark creature stabbed him in the shoulder and Echizen screamed, but before the Ringwraith could stab again Strider appeared with a torch in one hand, his sword in the other.

He set fire in the cloaks of the Nazgul One of them tried to get to Echizen, but the Ranger threw the torch in the empty face of the creature. Screaming and burning he ran away, following the others.

Echizen took off the Ring. He panted heavily and his face was white.

‘He got stabbed!’ shouted Eiji to Strider.

‘A Nazgul sword,’ stated the Ranger as he looked at the wound. ‘He needs medicine or we will lose him.’

‘Is he going to die?’ asked Oishi shocked.

‘No, he is passing into the world of shadows. He’ll soon become a wraith like them. Oishi, do you know the Athelas plant?’

‘I never heard of it,’ answered Oishi.

‘Kingsfoil?’

‘Yes, Kingsfoil, it’s a weed,’ said Oishi relieved, glad that he knew what the other was talking about.

‘Help me search for it,’ said Strider. ‘It will slow down the poison.’

While Momoshiro and Eiji stayed with Echizen, Oishi and Strider desperately searched for the plant. The Ranger sat on his knees, searching in the dark for the Athelas plant. Then he saw one. A small plant with white flowers. Strider carefully pulled it from the ground.

Suddenly he felt a cold blade against his neck.

‘A Ranger that let his guard down?’ said a soft voice.

Strider turned to face the person who held the sword and looked in the face of a beautiful Elf.

‘Fuji!’ he said. ‘I need your help.’

‘Where would you be without me?’ asked Fuji with a smile as he followed the Ranger to the waiting Hobbits.

‘He got stabbed by the Witch King, the leader of the Ringwraiths,’ Strider explained as soon as they reached Echizen, who’s breath was uneven and his eyes were wide open, staring into nothing. The Ranger carefully put some of the Kingsfoil in the wound. Meanwhile Oishi, Eiji and Momoshiro stared at Fuji. They had never seen an Elf before.

‘He needs medicine,’ said Fuji, ignoring the stares. ‘Let me take him to king Atobe. I’m the fastest rider.’

Strider nodded. Fuji climbed on his horse and the Ranger placed Echizen in front of him.

‘Be careful,’ said Strider. ‘There are five Ringwraiths that will follow you. I don’t know where the other four are.’

With that said Fuji left. The Ranger and the three Hobbits watched them leave.

‘Are all the Elves so pretty?’ asked Momoshiro.

Strider shook his head. ‘Most Elves have a natural beauty, but he is the most beautiful of them all.’

To be continued