AUTHOR'S NOTES: Hello everyone..I know this is really a farfetched RK fanfic (very out of bounds) but the personalities of the RK characters seem so perfect for this story so I still hope you will learn to like it. And please don't forget to leave a review for it. Thank you.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or it's characters..it's owned by someone else. And any whatsoever events in my story that might or have already happened to anyone is purely coincidental.

KENSHIN the DRGAGON HUNTER Chapter I: The Dragon Hunter

The forest was dark and cold and the night creatures were filling the air with sounds that would scare even full-grown men. But still, the figure in the black robe forged on. Leaves and branches crackled under his feet as he walked.

He was carrying something in his arms. He held it so gently, almost hunched over it, protecting it from the cold wind and any other danger that might present itself. He walked faster and faster on to the heart of the woods, whispering soft, calming words to the bundle in his arms.

This forest is the border of the two great kingdoms, the Kingdom of Triah(where he had just been) and the Kingdom of Surlow. He stopped as he heard the flapping of giant wings and felt the wind growing stronger. He looked up to see a huge dragon descending to the ground. When at last, the dragon stood before him, he raised his hood, revealing an old man. "My lord!" he said and knelt before the great beast.

Nearby, a seven-year old boy was wandering alone in the dark forest. He was well-dressed and had a small, yet handsomely built sword, in his belt. "Where are you dragon!" he called out. As it was, he was riding with his guards when he saw the dragon.

He rode into the woods on his horse and somehow managed to lose them. He wanted to see a real dragon, with his own eyes and he was not about to let those foolish guards of his ruin his fun!

Now, hours later, he had lost his way… The forest was dark and spooky and he was hungry and tired. But then, he saw it… The dragon, real and large had passed above him and landed somewhere close by.

"I'm gonna find it" the boy said with renewed excitement, forgetting his hunger and fatigue.

The little boy kept walking until he heard a noise. Someone was speaking. He followed the voices and saw the huge scaly dragon and there was a man kneeling before him. The boy hid himself behind a tree and watched fearfully, thinking that the dragon was about to devour the old man. But the man stood and the boy saw that he was carrying something. The man unwrapped the bundle in his arms and the boy saw that it was a small babe. "Oh no" he thought. "He's going to sacrifice the baby!"

"How old is she?" the dragon growled.

"Two years my lord. The lady...I mean her mother held on to life as long as she can for this child, but she was severely weakened and she... died..." The old man choked at his last words as he cried openly in front of the dragon.

"I see" the dragon replied, raising his giant claw towards the sleeping infant, "this child… she… is definitely the one."

The young boy could not bear to watch the horror of a dragon gobbling up a small helpless baby. "Don't you dare touch her you big monster!" he shouted as he drew his small sword and came out from behind the tree. The old man was surprised at the presence of the boy, but the dragon wasn't.

"Harharharharhar" the dragon laughed. "I was wondering when you would come out and show yourself."

"You mean you knew I was here all along?" The young boy asked, amazed.

"Yes, I felt your presence. I commend your bravery, young lad, but you can hardly protect her with that tiny sword of yours."

"I don't care" the boy said. "I don't care if you eat me just let the old man and the baby go!"
"He's not going to eat anyone" a man said behind the boy.

The boy winced recognizing the voice. He turned around slowly. "Father let me explain…" the boy said, but his father raised his arm cutting him off.

"King Thairu," the dragon said, bowing slightly to the newcomer.

"Dargove!" the king said, smiling. "It's been a long time. Please forgive my son's intrusion. We will leave you to your business now."

The king ruffled his son's red hair before giving him a stern look. "Come on Kenshin, you have a lot of explaining to do" he said as he put his arm around him leading him back to his horse. The dragon laughed again and said after them "Don't be too hard on your boy Thairu, he handled himself well today!"

His father raised an arm and waved at the dragon. Father and son rode silently for a moment before the king spoke. "When we meet with the guards, I think you already know what you must do. You must not tell anyone what you saw tonight."

"I know father," Kenshin said, "but I still don't understand a lot of things..." "Hush" the king said. "I will tell you all about it in due time, but first, we must get you home for your mother worries much about you."

"I'm sorry father," the young prince said distressed at the thought that he had worried his sweet mother.

"It's alright, you're safe now and that is what's important," the king of Surlow said holding his son, his greatest treasure, a little tighter and closer to his chest.

Sixteen years later...

A young man, with red hair and a cross-shaped scar on his face rode into the village. The villagers whispered saying "There he is, the hunter with the reversed edge sword. He's the greatest dragon hunter in the land and he's come to help us!"

The young man stopped in front of the village elder. The hunter is young, most assuredly below the age of twenty-five. His long, red hair is tied by a simple knot, and he is not a very big man. He wore no armor, but had a shining shield. His only weapon was his reversed edge sword, forged differently than the rest of the swords used by other knights and dragon hunters, for its blade was curved and blunted on one side. He was quiet, serious, but the aura around him was strong, and yes, quite powerful.

"I have come to slay the dragon that has been pillaging your people, for a hundred gold pieces." The village elder cringed. It is true what they said about him. That he is cold and heartless and he seems to hunt dragons for the sheer pleasure of it and he doesn't care about other people or their hardships!

"What's the world come to?" He asked himself. "There was a time when peace reigned and the land was prosperous. But now, Shishio rules both kingdoms of Surlow and Triah. Under him, the land as well as the people's spirit is slowly dying." The elder shook his head at this sad thought and handed the hunter a bag of gold, hard earned by the already suffering villagers. "Here" he said, sighing as he saw a year's worth of labor gone in an instant. "Please get rid of that dragon for us."

The hunter took the bag of gold without any word and nodded. He went up on his horse and held the reins. "Has anyone actually seen this dragon?" he asked and no one responded.

"Just as I thought" Kenshin said to himself, "it's probably another beast, not a dragon, if it remained unseen."

He turned his horse to leave. "Wait!" the elder said, "tell us your name at least." Keshin looked at him with cold golden-brown eyes, "I'm a dragon hunter, that's all you need to know."

"I do not believe that anyone could really be so heartless, nor is so content to live alone or unnamed. Beware of your hatred, young dragon hunter, or it will consume you as it had consumed Shishio." The villagers gasped at the mention of their ruler's name, how they hated him!

The young dragon hunter looked at the elder sharply. "You do not know what you speak of old man! I am nothing like Shishio!" he said and kicked the sides of his horse with his heels, urging it to move. "Stupid old man!" Kenshin said as he rode off. "I am nothing like Shishio!" He repeated to himself.

Kenshin stopped after about an hour of riding as he saw fresh tracks leading to the lake. He was right, it wasn't a dragon, but a bolwick that was terrorizing the village. A bolwick is a creature almost a cross breed between a lion and a lizard. It has the body of a lion and the head of a lizard. It moves pretty fast and it's agile too. It senses presence by sticking its tongue out and tasting the air. "Its main weakness" Kenshin thought, "is that it cannot see very well."

Kenshin followed the tracks, not bothering with his shield, and found the bolwick drinking on the lake. This one is full-grown and probably going to be a bit difficult. Normally, Kenshin would refuse to hunt such things, but whether he admits it or not, it angered him to hear that this monster had stolen three babies already.

Sometimes he thinks that no baby should be born anymore for they will only suffer in this cruel world. But then, if there were anybody pure and innocent in this world, it would be the children. His thought wandered for a while as he remembered that time in the forest, with the baby girl and the very first time he saw a dragon. He didn't feel hatred towards dragons then, only awe, even reverence...

Kenshin shook his head. "If only I'd known then what I know now" he thought. "They are but vile creatures, and they deserve to burn in hell, each and every one of them!"

The bolwick stopped drinking. It hissed and started to stick his tongue in and out of its mouth, waking our dragon hunter from his deep thought. "Here we go" Kenshin said as he saw the bolwick's fur spread out in anger. The bolwicks hate it when their territory is invaded and Kenshin waited as it started to charge at him.

Slowly, Kenshin drew his sword and just stood there holding his sword, sharp end forward. The bolwick drooled as it opened its mouth showing hundreds of sharp, pointed teeth.

Still, Kenshin hadn't moved even as the monster picked up speed and drew nearer and nearer. He could hear the ragged breath of the beast before it growled loud and opened its mouth wider in attempt to bite Kenshin's body. Kenshin waited until the last moment then he jumped high up in the air, the bolwick narrowly missing him.

THUD! The bolwick hit the tree that was right behind Kenshin! It didn't see the tree, couldn't see it. And so dazed, the bolwick tried to get up again but with one quick jump and a swoop of his sword, Kenshin slashed the bolwick's head off.

Kenshin wiped the green blood of the bolwick with a white handkerchief and left it on the carcass of the beast. It was his signature. With every kill, he left a virgin-white handkerchief stained with the beast's blood.

Kenshin took half of the gold inside the bag and left the rest with the dead beast as well. "When the killing stops, the villagers will know that the beast is dead and will come looking sooner or later," he thought, and left. He tried to reason out his "generosity" by telling himself that it's just fair to get half because it wasn't a dragon he killed.

Kenshin rode his horse fast a bit disappointed that the kill wasn't of a dragon. Images of his dead father and mother flashed in his mind. "Don't worry," he said to the images in his mind, as his eyes narrowed, "I won't stop, not until all dragons on this earth are dead or dust!"

...to be continued(c",)