Konnichiwa! This is a short side story that I wanted to write, based upon my favourite fairytale: the Tale of Princess-Kaguya. Or as it is sometimes referred to: The tale of the Bamboo Cutter.

Tanoshimu!

The man walked along the dusty trail, dragging his sandals as he went. His head was hung low and his loose ponytail drooped over his shoulder. It was clear that he was unhappy, and who wouldn't be in his situation? He let out a low sigh, using his own personal phrase as a sigh of disappointment.

"Aiya..." He sighed.

His name was Yao Wang and he was a bamboo cutter. He was fairly good at his job, but that didn't matter as much lately, for his business was gradually going downhill. He was a good man, growing old of course but still looked pretty good for his age. Yao had a wife, but no children. It was clear that his wife longed for a child, but they couldn't get one no matter how hard they tried and had given up long ago.

Then Yao stopped, for something had caught his eye. Out of the whole bamboo forest, one stalk stood out to him. Why? Because it was glowing brightly, an unnatural trait for bamboo stalks. Following his natural instinct as a bamboo cutter, he chopped into this stalk, not knowing what would happen if he cut it but really nothing could prepare him for what was inside.

Inside of the stalk was a baby girl. But not just any baby girl, this girl was about the size of Yao's thumb. It was most unusual indeed, and Yao stood there for a little longer, not fully knowing what to do in this situation.

But there was no denying her beauty. She was extremely pretty and was sure to be blessed with good looks as she aged. Naturally, Yao's heart softened slightly and a thought dawned upon him. What if he took this girl home and raised her as his daughter? There was no harm in it of course, so why not?

"I will take you home with me-aru." Yao declared.

He picked up the girl (which wasn't much trouble since she was only the size of his thumb) and carried her back to his home. There wasn't much work left for today anyway and he wouldn't earn that much even if he did.

"Sakura! I'm home-aru!" Yao called.

"Konnichiwa Yao. Wercome home." She smiled.

"I have a surprise for you..." Yao smiled.

Then Yao opened his hands to reveal what he had been hiding. Sakura gasped at the sight of the tiny baby in Yao's hands and she smiled with joy.

"A baby girl..." She whispered. "Just what we've arways wanted."

Yao nodded and hugged Sakura, being careful with the micro-sized baby in his palm. He rested her on the table and Sakura stared at her with fascination.

"What are we going to name her?" She asked.

"Igiko." Yao smiled.

"Igiko?" Sakura asked, then she turned back to their child. "I rike it. Igiko she shall be."

There Igiko lay, sleeping soundly with that serene angel-like look on her face. She was calm, even for a girl of her size in such a large and unfamiliar place.

Yao said goodbye to his wife and newly adopted child, hoping that today was going to be slightly more prosperous than the many other days he spent at work lately. Really if business continued to slip further downhill then the bamboo cutting would probably have to come to a close.

He set off into the bamboo forest once more, hoping desperately that he'd find some good bamboo to harvest. Eventually, he found a healthy looking stalk so he cut into it quickly.

But as it split, something miraculous happened. There inside the bamboo was a sparkling piece of gold, lying there in all of its glory. Yao was fascinated by this discovery and pocketed it instantly. Trying not to be overwhelmed by the finding of gold, he continued to harvest bamboo.

But it happened again. Inside of the next bamboo stalk was another piece of beautiful, glittering gold. He found this happened with every piece of bamboo he harvested. There just was no end to it.

"Igiko... Was this your doing-aru?"

Yao walked in through the front door, but said nothing. Instead, he unloaded the giant pile of gold onto the table where Sakura sat, cradling the tiny Igiko in her arms.

"Y-Yao? Where did you get all of this?" Sakura gasped.

"Bamboo." Yao stated simply.

"With all of this..." Sakura whispered, picking up a piece and eyeing it in her fingers. "Our money probrems are over!"

"Yeah..." Yao smiled.

"Are you okay, Yao?" Sakura asked.

"Well... Can I hold Igiko for a minute-aru?"

"Hai, of course."

Yao took the tiny girl in his arms (as well as you can hold a baby about one-inch high) and walked with her outside. He walked out onto the porch with her and looked up at the beautiful full moon.

"Igiko... I thank you for all of the luck that you've brought us." Yao whispered. "And in return... I will protect you, from everyone-aru! There will be visitors I'm sure. So I promise to shield you from all bad people. That's a promise-aru!"

He smiled up at the moon for a few seconds, but then he was interrupted. Suddenly, Igiko began to scream and wail like she never had before. Up until now, she had been quiet but now she screeched as if in extreme pain. Yao began to cradle her gently as he took her back inside to Sakura.

"What's wrong?" Sakura asked as she stood up in a panic.

"I don't know-aru... Here, you hold her." Yao whispered.

Sakura took Igiko into the other room to comfort her and Yao sighed as the crying died down. Why had she cried all of a sudden? Was it something he had done?

But then a thought dawned upon him, or rather it shone its light upon him. For as he wondered about the crying of his small daughter, a mystical yet enchanting light crept across the room and Yao turned around to look outside. There he saw the possible cause of Igiko's distress, the explanation for the weird happenings that had been centred on Igiko.

Yes. Tonight the full moon glistened serenely. Calm and peaceful, it was calling out to the young girl that had once lived on its surface.

Ooh how mysterious... I just love that about Kaguya-Hime. Or should I say, Britannia-Hime? I called her Igiko because this is set in Japan so obviously her English names wouldn't work for this setting.

Please review! This story will only be short so get some reviews in while it lasts!

Sayonara minna-san!

~Neko