Disclaimer: I don't own. Life isn't fair.
A small note about Megumi-witch-dono: I used Baba Yaga, a character from Russian Tales, as base for Megumi (though Baba Yaga is ugly and Megumi is beautiful). It is said that Baba Yaga is a flesh eating witch that lives in a hut similar to what I described. She commands three horsemen (Yes, Firuze, there is an explanation on the colors. The white one represents the dawn; the red is the bright day and the black is the night). Why Baba Yaga? Besides the fact that she is a powerful witch, she isn't like the witches we read in fairy tales. Baba Yaga actually helps those who serve her.
To Guadalupe (Jo-chan)
Kaoru's stomach was making grouching noises. It was way past noon and they hadn't eaten yet. At least she had her arms around Kenshin. They had left the mare at Megumi's. Since Kenshin had discovered the truth about the mare, he didn't want to see it anymore. And who was Kaoru to complain about riding on the same horse as Kenshin?
"Are you sure the donkey came this way, Kaoru-dono?" Kenshin asked, after a while.
"I think so." Kaoru replied, and her stomach grouched even louder.
"Kaoru-dono is hungry. There is a village that way. Perhaps we could grab something to eat, before we resume our search?" Kenshin suggested, guiding their horse in the direction he knew the village was.
"You seem to know a lot of places." Kaoru said, once the village came in sight.
"Sessha has been around a lot. Shishou always sends me to places. Stupid tasks, of course." Kenshin sighed.
"Like what?" Kaoru asked resting her face on his back.
"Prevent a war in the southern border... Get him blueberries at the highest peak of Hiten Mitsurugi... Take sake to the dragon. Bring back the sake. Take the sake back again. Bring it back again."
"Why does he keep asking that?"
"Shishou is trying to quit drinking."
Kaoru started giggling. Hiko? Quit drinking? That was the joke of the century.
"Why do you do it?" Kaoru asked. "Those silly tasks, I mean. Not that I think that preventing war is a silly task, but..."
"I'm Shishou's heir."
Kaoru was confused. Wasn't Hiko something like her father in that world? Wasn't then SHE supposed to inherit the throne then?
"I thought he had a daughter." She asked, scratching her head.
"He does. But if she never marries, I'm to inherit the throne."
"Why you?" Kaoru was even more confused.
"Shishou adopted me when I was a boy." Kenshin explained.
"So, if the princess never gets married you are supposed to be king?"
"That's the idea."
"And what if the princess gets married, what will happen to you?" Kaoru was concerned.
"Well... I don't think that will happen."
"Why not?"
"She is eighteen years old. No suitor has ever wanted to marry her. I think she must be ugly."
Ugly? She? No-no-no-no-no! How could he think she was ugly? Was he blind? Kaoru was fuming. She clenched her first.
"Have you ever seen her?" Kaoru asked, ready to hit him on the head.
"Once, when she was a baby. She was ugly then. So I bet she is still ugly."
"But she is eighteen now... What if she is beautiful?"
"Like you?"
"Do you think I'm beautiful?" Kaoru blushed. All her murderous thoughts flew away from her mind.
"Of course!"
"Really?" Kaoru was smiling dumbly.
"Yes..."
What was that all about? He had just said that she was beautiful. Why did she question his answer? He wasn't lying. In fact, Kaoru was almost as beautiful as his mare-dono. Kenshin mentally kicked himself. He had promised he wouldn't think about the mare.
Once they arrived at the village, it wasn't very hard to find a place to eat. There was only one restaurant there and Kenshin knew where it was. They walked in the small but comfy restaurant and the owner came to greet them.
"Sorry, sir. We only have soup left." The owner said when they sat at a table.
Kenshin looked at Kaoru.
"I'd eat anything. I'm starving." She said.
"We'll have two soups, then, good man." Kenshin said.
The owner smiled and went to the kitchen to fetch their order.
"How are we going to find that donkey?" Kaoru sighed.
"I thought you knew what direction to take..." Kenshin pointed out.
"I saw the direction it went, I just didn't expect that it would take a turn somewhere."
"I think... Well... If you were a donkey, where would you go?"
"What kind of stupid question is that?! Do I look like a donkey?!" Kaoru got angry.
"No! Sessha didn't mean it that way!" Kenshin spat. "I just thought that finding this donkey would be easier than this..."
The restaurant's owner started putting the bowls in front of them.
"You were talking about donkeys? I have one to sell, if you want to." The owner said.
"It's not any donkey. We are trying to find a special donkey." Kaoru said, shoving the spoon in her mouth.
"Special donkey? I never thought an ass would have anything about special. For instance, there is an ass that always comes to this village. It eats, drinks and doesn't pay the bill! It gets on people's nerves!" The owner slammed his fist on the table, making the soup bowls shake violently. Kaoru held her bowl protectively, trying to prevent her precious food from spilling. "To make things even worst, that donkey hit on my wife!"
"A donkey?" Kenshin's eyes widened.
"Hitting on a woman?" Kaoru was also shocked. But somehow... "It sounds like the donkey we are looking for..."
Kenshin stared at Kaoru for a moment, before turning to the restaurant's owner again.
"Do you know where we can find this ass?"
"I saw it going in the tavern a while ago... Along with those three horsemen."
"Here is for the meal and the information." Kenshin said, throwing a coin to the man, before pulling Kaoru to the street.
They found it. It had to be Megumi's donkey. Walking in the tavern, it wasn't hard to find a donkey sitting on a table (!) in the company of the three horsemen that had nearly killed Kaoru the day before.
Kaoru took a look at the donkey. It had brown fur and... A red headband on its head? Kaoru clutched her stomach and doubled over in laughter. Kenshin didn't understand what was happening. The only words he could make sense out of what Kaoru was saying were: 'Sanosuke' and 'ass'.
"Excuse me." Kenshin came over to the donkey.
Kaoru stopped laughing. It seemed like Kenshin had gone completely crazy this time. She knew the donkey was Sanosuke, but there was no way a donkey could speak. Could it?
The donkey looked at Kenshin.
"I was wondering... Do you belong to Megumi-witch-dono?" Kenshin asked.
"I belong... *hiccup*... To nobody... *hiccup*..." The donkey replied, obviously drunk.
Kenshin looked at Kaoru.
"It's him alright." Kaoru said.
"I guess we'll have to convince him to go back to its master." Kenshin said. The horsemen would probably interfere if Kenshin tried to take away their drinking buddy by force.
"Well, I was never able to convince him to do anything." Kaoru muttered.
"Do you know it?" Kenshin stared at her.
"Sorta..." Kaoru sighed. "You should try to talk to him." She pushed him towards the table. Kenshin tripped and fell with his face on the table. The table turned over, cups flying in the air. Oh-oh… he was in trouble. The horsemen didn't seem very pleased seeing their drinks flying in the air.
"HAHAHAHAHA!" It was the donkey laughing.
"Sessha is very sorry for that! Can I buy you new drinks?" Kenshin was beet red.
"Sure, pal! Sit down with us!"
Kaoru gave Kenshin the thumbs up, before leaving the tavern. Kenshin wondered where she had gone.
"Hey! Waiter! Bring us more!" The donkey shouted. "By the way… your girlfriend is a pretty little thing."
"Sessha's… girlfriend?" Kenshin blushed.
~~~ Several drinks later ~~~~
"And then Megumi-witch-dono told us it was a plain mare…" Kenshin finished telling his tale. "And to think *hiccup* that it was just a mare… *hiccup*"
"My sympathies, man." The donkey said, holding the glass with his two front paws. It was a weird sight to say the least.
"So… *hiccup* why have you fled Megumi-witch-dono?"
"Why? Because she is a sly fox that argues with me all the time."
"But she loves you. She wants you back *hiccup*."
"I'm not going back to that witch! She treats me like garbage!" Sano blurted.
"Oro… I'm sure she does that because she loves you… *hiccup* maybe that's her way of showing affection."
"I bet little miss doesn't treat you that way…"
"No, she hurts me." Kenshin hiccupped again. "I had just saved her from them…" He pointed to the horsemen, almost falling out of his chair. He was slightly out of balance. "I saved her and she kicked me!"
"Kicked you?"
"Right there! And I had hopes of being a daddy someday…" Kenshin seemed in the verge of tears.
Sano patted him on the shoulder.
"There… there… I'm sure everything will be alright…" Sano tried to console him. "Say… would you feel better if I came back with you to Megumi's?"
"Would you do that for sessha?" Kenshin asked, blowing his nose on his sleeve. Apparently, pity could move mountains.
"Sure! We are pals! I'll help you out!" The donkey hit him on the back.
Kenshin hit his head on the table. He was out cold.
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TBC...
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Thanks very much for reading, everybody. See you next chapter! (Hopefully it will be out soon!)
Like chibi-angels says: it's a giving and taking relationship. Reviews make me happy and inspired to write the next chapter. Updates make the reader happy. Review and make the both of us happy.
By the way… The other day I noticed someone using my pen name in reviews. Just to let you know, from now on I always sign in before reviewing, or I leave my e-mail address at the review (which is hanahimura@hotmail.com, pretty obvious, right?).
