Disclaimer: Once upon a time, there lived a dreamer named Kalasin. Most unfortunately, her fairy godmother did not give her the gift of actually owning Rurouni Kenshin.

Summary: 'Once upon a time…a rurouni fell under a spell in order to save a young woman's life from an Evil Sorcerer; but will the magic stop there? Or will his heart fall under another spell for a certain tanuki?

Genre: Romance/Mystery/Adventure (A bit A/U) Kenshin/Kaoru

A/N: IMPORTANT !!!

Okay, just to clear some stuff up; I really, really don't know if I can call this fic an A/U, but hey, I have changed a number of things. I mean, Megumi, Tae, and Tsubame have been turned to mythical creatures, and not only is Enishi a powerful swordsman, he is also an evil sorcerer, although Kenshin is still a wanderer. Kaoru and Yahiko are now siblings, too. ^_^

There will be a lot of unanswered questions in this chapter, and I hope you guys won't get that confused!

By the way, as of the present, I have written seven chapters for this fic, but I'm not posting them all at once. Still, I'd really appreciate it if you guys gave your comments and suggestions.


However, this is my first RK fic, so please, no matches and gas canisters :) LOVE YA ALL!!!

NYMPHA FABELLA

Chapter One: THE UNEXPLAINABLE

Once upon a time, there was a small village in Japan; a place which was once a dome of peace. Its inhabitants were happy, and could not ask for more than what their humble homes could offer. The village was located between two forests; the first one, dark, gloomy and menacing, while the other beautiful and always in full bloom.

But alas, for as time passed by the village itself was cursed to become like that of the first forest. Something evil and supernatural was spreading everywhere, and no sword, no arrow, no axe, nor staff could destroy the man who had started it all.

The room was huge, built with smooth, marble floors, and tapestries of all kinds of colors: from rosy red, to velvet purple, matching the sturdy furniture. Sunlight graciously poured itself into the room from outside one of the windows. The curtains were long, elegant; enchanting, their smooth ends brushing the floor softly with a whispering rustle.

Despite this, the girl who sat on the grand four-postered bed on one corner of the room kept her head bowed, her blue eyes filled with seeming misery, a sure contrast against her surroundings.

A moment passed and a tall man entered the room. He had a small pair of sun glasses despite being indoors, and shining silvery black hair. An evil grin spread on his somewhat handsome face as he watched the girl sulk. "Kamiya, Kamiya," He said in a mocking tone. "You haven't gone out of your room the whole day! What is the matter? Do you dislike your new home?"

The young woman simply lifted her head, only to glare at him. "This isn't my home. Give me back my dojo!" The man smirked still, and walked towards her. "Iie, iie, I believe you are quite mistaken--that dojo of yours is now of my possession." He lifted the girl's face up to him. "In fact you should be quite thankful that I even kept you under my wing.

"Most bakas I've freely killed in their reluctance to give their land to me, under the name--my name, Yukishiro, but you, why, you could live a life of riches here!" she jerked her face away from him, stood up, and began to back away angrily, a gleam of rebellion in her eyes.

"I don't know why you even kept me here! Doushite? Tell me!" Enishi kept his voice cool, and crossed his arms casually. "Let's just say you remind me of someone quite dear to me…"

With that, he walked out of the room, leaving the girl alone once more.

***@***

So strong indeed, was the spell cast over the village, that every inch of the place seemed a stronghold of depression. Much blood had been shed by the hands of the mysterious Evil Sorcerer, and few had remained in the place.

In fact, the second forest seemed to be the only place the horrors of the village could not reach. It remained as bountiful as ever, maintaining the beauty it had always possessed; quite unlike the first forest, which had, if possible grown even darker, and ever more frightening.

'What a lonely place to be in…' He thought, looking around him, and spotting a bird's nest resting on a tree's lower branch. He then smiled, watching as the baby birds chirped eagerly, washing away a bit of the sadness of the place. "Hello there, little fellas…" He said.

He sighed, realizing he had been away from human communication for too long. The last time he had had a real, worth-remembering conversation was when she was still alive, and that was of course a very, very long time ago.

One of the younglings leaped from the nest to Kenshin's outstretched hand, as if begging him to stay. "Gomen nasai, little one. Sessha has to go and find a place to stay in for the night." He shook his head, letting movement course through his ponytail, which held his long, red hair away from his face.

He settled the small bird back in his nest and continued to go about his way. It was not long after he noticed that the ground beneath him was growing harder, and there were now lesser trees about.

Soon he found himself frowning thoughtfully at the sight that lay before him. The town seemed to be covered with sheets of gray clouds, even though the temperature remained humid. Very few people were outside, and there was a noticeable number of trash around, its stench washing over him every now and then.

Around him were houses which looked ready to collapse. There were very few trees around, and dust seemed to fill the road. Every now and then he would see scattered belongings: a broken slipper, a dull and rusty dagger, or a piece of old cloth smeared with something that looked remarkably like someone's blood.

Not knowing what came over him, the rurouni was forced to get a hold of himself, as he felt something cold wash over him--something queer that seemed to blend right with the place he was now in. the ice-cold feeling entered him, his mind suddenly feeling as if it weighed a ton. Instinct made him hold on to the hilt of his sword, until he had taken a few good breaths and regained his calm.

What had just happened? Perhaps it was his lack of sleep. He felt the cold sensation wash away from him, as quickly and as sudden as it had come. Shrugging, Kenshin focused his once confused pair of purple eyes search the area he was in once again; his senses fighting against the stench surrounding him.

"Konichiwa," He greeted a woman who sat on a wooden bench outside her house. "Sessha was just passing and was curious if you could suggest an inn of some sort for the night?" He asked, smiling politely, suddenly eager for some rest.

The woman looked at him, revealing a pair of kind brown eyes. "There's an inn a few streets away, boy, but they are closed and I am afraid the owners do not see it fit to open up any time soon."

Kenshin nodded with a smile. "Domo arigatou. Sessha will then have to find another inn, but your help is greatly appreciated." The woman smiled and made a gesture to the door of her home. "You are quite welcome, young man, but it is getting late--how would you like to stay with me for the night?

The wanderer's face brightened up. Perhaps the place was not so bad after all, if the people who lived in it were always this generous. "Oro? Are you sure, de gozaru? Sessha wouldn't want to cause you trouble."

She laughed, and opened the door halfway. "Trouble? Iie, it's no trouble at all. My husband passed away three years ago, and my only daughter is married. Indeed you would only be doing me a favor in joining me tonight."

Kenshin smiled, not believing his luck. "Hai, if you insist, de gozaru, then sessha will stay." They proceeded indoors, the woman glad for the company, and the former samurai thankful for his good fortune.

***@***

A gentle breeze blew, as the two entered the other's dwelling; a breeze that somehow danced itself upon another place, so different from the seemingly now destitute town where the wanderer found himself.

And so, in the outskirts of another town, in an old house which smelled of sweat and liquor, lounged a group of men, all drunk, and playing the one dirty game fit for such a night…

"Sagara!" I can't believe you won again, you bastard!"

"Of course I won! I'm an especially lucky bastard, that's what!"

"Shoot. If your damn good luck continues we'll all be out of money!"

Sanosuke grinned deviously, watching as the men all around him cursed and grimaced as he gathered the money and put them in his bag. He stood up, after taking one last drink from his bottle of sake.

He headed outside, where the moon was at her full, but few stars ventured forth. Soon the voices of the men he was with faded away into the night, and all he could hear was the joyous jingle of the coins in his pocket.

For three nights in a row he had been winning at dice, and he was in the highest of spirits. Tomorrow, perhaps, if his hangover was not too hard on him, he would go find himself some women, and buy himself more wine.

He was so caught up in his plans, that he did not notice the woman he happened to bump with. Drunk though he may be, he tried to apologize, but was cut off by her melodious voice. "Drunk at this time of the night, Sano? Can you not find better things to do?"

Of all the nerve! Sano opened his mouth to say he was a grown man; he could drink whenever he fancied, and it was not really that late yet, feeling obliged for no apparent reason to explain himself, as if he were a young boy caught doing an act of naught by an elder, when he realized something. "Matte, how in the world do you know who I am anyway?!"

The woman lifted her face, revealing a pair of deep-set gray eyes, a crooked nose, and dull lips, all framed by black hair which reached the ground. She was only a mite smaller than he, and something in her eyes made Sano feel quite uncomfortable. "Suspicious, Sagara? And why so demanding all of a sudden?"

Sano frowned. 'What the hell…' "Look, I have no damn idea who you are, but if you're looking for a man, I tell you, I've no interest in crooked-nosed women, all right?" He started to walk away, when the woman's voice sounded again. "You need to learn how to change, Sanosuke. Otherwise, you'll find yourself very sorry indeed."

"Che, you think I'm really going to believe that?" He turned around, but a different scene met his eyes: The old woman was holding a hand, palm up, and her chapped lips moved in the light of the moon, her eyes half closed.

'What is wrong with HER?!' He thought. 'Oh great, so she's a performing lunatic now…What've you gotten yourself into, Sano? Just what kind of sake did they give me, anyway?'

The woman continued her act, only pausing after her chant to give him a piercing glare, her palm in his direction. She gave him a clever smile.

A faint ray of green wrapped itself around Sano, and try as might, he could not move a single muscle.

***@***

Trihania breathed a sigh of relief. Well! That Sagara sure was a load of work for a fairy to take care of! The man simply had no care whatsoever about his life: all he did was gamble and womanize, and it was about time she did something about it!

A simple curse would teach him a lesson for now. Trihania smiled triumphantly, though somewhat exhausted. She had a meeting with a fellow fairy a few days from now, and not wanting to appear stressed, she stretched her stiff arms, seeing to it that no other human being was present to witness how she wrapped herself with her own magic, and vanished into the night, off to get some rest and relaxation.

A/N:

Good grief! I thought I was never going to write a single chapter!!! You certainly do not know how hard that was, so really, no flames. Anyway, Megumi and a few original characters make their appearance in the next few chapters. ^_^

As for the title, Nympha Fabella, a friend told me 'nympha' was Latin for 'fairy', and 'fabella', for 'tale'. However, in a Latin dictionary, these two words do not appear together, so if by any chance you know Latin, and Nympha Fabella is a grammatical error, please inform me, but at the same time, don't really expect me to change the title--I think everyone (especially my fellow authors) know how hard it is to think of a title.

See you in the next chapter!