I'm using here the European concept of fairy tales, not the Japanese. I learnt a bit about Fairy Tales in Japan thanks to the book "The Witch must die", by Sheldon Cashdan, but I'm not going to use it here. I'm using the European setting because I think it fits better in this story.
By the way, there will be OOC in this story (Duh! Wasn't that pretty obvious???)
Disclaimer: I own Rurouni Kenshin! And there is nothing
you can do to prove me wrong! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA
Kenshin sweat-drops.
Kaoru: "That's it... She's gone completely crazy this time."
Saitou: "Call the nut house."
Kenshin: "Hana-dono doesn't own Rurouni Kenshin. If someone thinks that
she does, this person is just as crazy as she is."
The rest of the cast nods.
For Jo-chan
~~ Kaoru's Fairy Tale ~~
2. Dragon on duty
"I don't know why I do this..." Kenshin sighed, as he approached the cave. "Oh, yes... I do know. It's because if Shishou's daughter never marries, I'll be the sole heir of Hiten Mitsurugi. I wonder how she is like... She must be pretty ugly for all those suitors to keep running away from her..."
He entered a dark cave lit unevenly by torches hanging on the walls. He tiptoed to the back of the cave, where a strange and loud breathing noise could be heard. Kenshin pressed his back against the wall, to prevent being seen, as he walked slowly towards the source of the noise.
"It's sleeping." Kenshin let out a relieved sigh, as he passed by the ugly green dragon, who slept peacefully with it's ugly chin rested over his ugly paws. That part of the cave beamed gold, the reflex of the opened treasure chests that filled the cave. Over an altar, there was an empty place where it should be the most important treasure of Hiten Mitsurugi... The sake jar.
Kenshin placed the sake jar over the altar. "At least it was easy this time..." He said and turned around. "Uh-oh..."
The dragon was staring at him, its ugly chin rested on one of its paws. His other paw's fingers kept tapping the floor.
The dragon grinned. It actually grinned!! Kenshin freaked out. He knew it! The dragon thought he was a wuss! Damn! Damn Shishou! It was all his fault! He could not even have the respect of an ugly beast... That was just great. The dragon looked at him menacingly.
"Oro... I suppose 'sorry for disturbing your nap' won't do..."
The dragon shook it's head.
"Just be careful to not burn my hair again..."
The dragon's grin grew wider, showing its teeth. Of course, he could be mistaken... Maybe it wasn't a grin at all, just the dragon showing its teeth. Kenshin gulped.
"You sadistic dragon..." Kenshin muttered and ran for it. Or at least he tried, because the dragon had a paw over his cloak.
"Uh-oh." Kenshin said, trying desperately to pull his cloak from under the dragon's paw.
"Please!" Kenshin yelled and pulled the cloak so hard that the fabric tore.
The dragon was staring at him with the infamous 'I like to play with my food' look on its face. Oro... That didn't look good... That didn't look good at all! He wasn't ready to become dragon's food just yet!
He drew his sword. The dragon spit fire over him, making Kenshin roll out of the way of the blast.
"Oro... Look at what you did! I washed this set of clothes yesterday! Now I'll have to do laundry again!" Kenshin scowled at the dragon. It wasn't intimidated by his outburst.
Kenshin jumped in the air.
"Hiten Mitsurugi Ryu! Ryu-tsui-sen!" Kenshin cried, as he dived in the air, ready to hit the ugly dragon on the head. Except... No dragon. And weirdly enough, no floor.
"Will you put me down?" Kenshin glared at the dragon, who was holding him in the air by his torn cloak.
And putting him down the dragon did -- throwing would probably be a better description for it. Kenshin landed hard on his face. It was definitely not his lucky day. First the had to drag his sorry ass to that far away cave... Why couldn't Hiko be the regular king? He should keep that treasure in the castle, with guards, not with a stupid dragon!!
Kenshin dusted off his clothes, staring at the dragon. If had was standing right between Kenshin and the cave's entrance. So, if he had to get out, he'd have to pass by it. Kenshin pondered his options...
There was only a few techniques Kenshin could use in the dragon. Hiko's fault, again... If Kenshin got the dragon too hurt, Hiko would kill him. And the techniques he could use without fearing of hurting the beast too much, the dragon knew all those. It seemed like a dilemma... To kill his master's dragon, or to be killed by it. There had to be some other alternative...
"Wow... Is that a female dragon?" Kenshin asked, pointing behind the dragon.
The dragon looked and Kenshin passed between the dragon's legs. When the beast finally understood what was happening, Kenshin was already waving at the cave's entrance.
"I can't believe you fell for that!" Kenshin bent over, clutching his stomach and laughing hard. Suddenly, something hot passed just above his head. What was that burnt smell? Oh, man... Not again... "Stupid dragon! You set my hair on fire!"
***
'That was some weird dream...' Kaoru thought as she woke up. She opened her eyes lazily.
"Man! It wasn't a dream!" Kaoru sighed heavily. She was still inside her bedroom in that castle. "Well, I've had it! I'll drop dead before Hiko can marry me to that Seta-san." Kaoru shuddered.
She got up, with a strong resolve in her mind. She'd run away. Searching through a clothes' trunk, she found what seemed to be the most discrete outfit she could find. It consisted of green tight pants, a white shirt and a green cloak. She decided she looked like a frog, but that could be useful in case she had to hide in the woods or something like that.
Kaoru left her room. She just hoped that no guard would see her. Now a new problem presented itself... She didn't know the way out of that castle. Wandering through corridors for the rest of her life wasn't exactly her idea of fun. She could ask her "maid" for help, but then everybody would know she was fleeing the castle. And Misao could get in trouble with Hiko if she did help.
Kaoru took the stairs down until she was at base level. She stopped to think where to go next.
"I wonder if this castle has a back exit..." She muttered, as she turned left.
After twenty minutes, Kaoru realized two things. First: she was lost. Second: she knew she shouldn't have turned left so many times. She was wandering in circles.
Upon hearing steps, Kaoru thought it was wise to hide behind an armor. 'I wouldn't want to be caught before I'm able to run away...'
Someone passed by the place she was hiding, groaning loudly:
"Damn shishou! Damn dragon!"
She knew that voice! 'Kenshin! I've found you!' She jumped from her hiding place, but he was already opening a door and going in. Kaoru followed. She opened the door carefully, and when she heard Hiko's voice, she decided to wait outside.
"Bring me my sake jar back!"
"But, shishou! I just came back!" Kenshin argued.
"I don't care! You don't know what my dear daughter did... She fainted! Thank goodness that prince Soujirou has a thing for ladies in distress and fainting princesses, otherwise he'd be back to his kingdom by now!"
'Maybe it's better if I do what he wishes right now.' Kenshin thought, with a sigh. 'Next time he asks me to take his sake to the cave, I'll just hide it in my room. Then I don't have to go all the way to face that stupid dragon.' Kenshin grinned. It sounded like a plan.
"What are you smiling about, baka deshi?" Hiko roared. "You should be running to retrieve my sake!"
"I'm going, shishou!"
Kenshin left the room, bumping into what it seemed like an oversized frog.
"I'm sorry! But I have to run!"
Kaoru's cloak had fallen on her face and slowed her reactions. She was with her butt on the floor, trying desperately to get rid of the stupid cloak and when she finally did, she saw Kenshin running off. Without thinking, Kaoru set off behind him.
She had spent twenty minutes trying to find the exit and all she had to do was turn right and open a door. Kaoru sweat-dropped.
In the patio, she saw Kenshin mounting a horse.
"Kenshin!" She yelled, but he didn't hear her. "I have to follow him! I won't let him run away now that I've found him!"
She scanned the area for a something she could use to chase him and saw a guard pulling a horse by the reins. Without thinking, she threw a punch at the guard's face and mounted the horse. She only hoped to not lose sight of Kenshin.
***
Kenshin finally arrived at the cave. He walked in carefully. The dragon seemed like it was sleeping on duty again. It's loud snores could be heard from miles away. When Kenshin finally arrived at the treasure's chamber, he stopped dead on his tracks. It was empty.
Not all that empty. The dragon was still there, sleeping soundly.
Kenshin kicked the dragon's paw.
"Hey! What the hell happened here?"
The dragon opened his eyes sleepily. It looked around. Where was the treasure?
"I can't believe you! You keep sleeping on duty and you let the treasure be stolen!" Kenshin scowled.
The dragon looked down in shame.
"Shishou will have your head for that!" Kenshin continued, noticing the panicked look on the dragon's face. "You are so irresponsible."
The dragon gave Kenshin 'the look'. (Is it possible for a dragon the make puppy dog eyes?)
"No! I won't help you! I always cover for you and you always burn my hair! Stop looking at me that way!" Kenshin felt his heart start melting. That damn ugly green beast could be so endearing. "Okay, okay... I'll help! Just stop looking like that!"
The dragon started licking Kenshin's face (?!).
"Stop that! You'll get me all wet!"
"Ken- AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!" A female's voice was heard , followed by a loud thud.
Kenshin looked at the cave's entrance to see a fallen young woman, dressed in green. He hurried to her.
"Hey, miss? Wake up, please..." He shook the girl. Should he slap her? That was what shishou used to do when he passed out.
"Dd-ra-gon." Kaoru stuttered, opening her eyes.
"What was that again?"
"It was going to eat you!"
"No, it wasn't." Kenshin smiled. The girl was simply cute. "It is my friend. What are you doing here?"
"I-I followed you."
"You followed me? Why? What's your name?"
Kaoru wasn't ready for that. He didn't know her! Should she tell him about the book? He would probably never believe her. She wouldn't believe herself.
"Kaoru." She replied.
Kenshin helped her to her feet.
"I'm sir Baka Deshi."
"Oro?" Kaoru stared at him in shock.
"It's shishou's pet name for me... My real name is Kenshin. And this..." Kenshin pointed at the dragon. "Is Dragon, the dragon."
That was stupid. How could a dragon be called "Dragon"? What an unimaginative name... The dragon looked at her and bowed politely. It looked like it was going to say something...
Dragon opened his mouth. Kenshin expected a gust of fire that never came. Instead, the dragon looked like it was struggling to say something.
"B-b-b-bu" The dragon started. "Bu-s-su..."
"Nani??" Kaoru yelled.
"Bu-su." The dragon kept practicing his brand new first word. "Busu. Busu! Busu!"
"Oro... I didn't know it could speak..." Kenshin said.
"Yahiko?" Kaoru took a look at the dragon.
It couldn't be Yahiko, could it? The size and shape was surely different, but there was that unmistakable glint in the dragon's eyes. It was him!
"Oh, my God..." Kaoru muttered.
"Well, it was nice meeting you, miss Kaoru. Sessha has to leave now, otherwise my friend will be beheaded." Kenshin started leaving, while waving goodbye to the dragon.
"Don't leave me!" Kaoru ran after him.
"Oro... Sessha can't take you... I'm going to look for a stolen treasure. It can be dangerous for a young miss such as yourself."
"Don't you dare treating me like a child like you always did!" Kaoru blurted.
"Do I know you?" Kenshin stared at her curiously.
"I can't believe you don't even remember me!" Kaoru stomped her foot. "Mou! That is so typical of you!"
"Oro... Miss... Please..."
"Liking or not, you are going to take me with you! It took me a long time to find you! Now I'm not going to lose sight of you, mister!"
"Okay, okay... Sessha will bring you along... But miss Kaoru must promise to not give me a hard time, nor to get in trouble... It might be dangerous too, so you must also promise me to never leave sessha's side."
'Never leave your side? Oh, Kenshin...' Kaoru sighed. 'We'll have a wonderful adventure together... I just know it'
Kaoru stared at Kenshin with hearts in her eyes.
'What is wrong with her?' Kenshin thought, clueless.
----------------------------
TBC...
----------------------------
Hi, Minna-san! Thanks for the encouragement. =^x^=
I'm finally on vacation, so I might be able to write chapters faster now. So,
keep the reviews coming (they keep me inspired).
For those of you that are wondering how the book will help Kaoru with Kenshin, you'll have to read to the end. =^x^=
