Warning: This is a fusion of Rurouni Kenshin, Vivian Vande Velde's Dragon's Bait and several other dragon and maiden books and movies. If you don't like, don't read.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I also do not own Vivian Vande Velde's Dragon's Bait, Patricia C Wrede's Dealing with Dragon's and it's many sequels, Dragonheart, Dragonslayer, any fairy tales that may pop up or the dragon and princess book that I read in grade four that I no longer remember the name of (Although it may or may not have been called 'The Dragon's Princess'). In other words if you recognize it (and possibly even if you don't) then I don't own it. So live with it, because I do. RK and the other stories are the property of their respective owners. I'm just writing this for fun (it's fanfiction, it's supposed to be fun) and will make no money from it. Please do not sue me. You really wouldn't get anything anyway.
Summery: Kaoru's the Maiden, guess who the Dragon is.
Rating: PG-13
Original Post notes.
Author's note: I really wanted to write more than this before I put it out because nothing seems to be happening yet. I'm sure my notes for this story had a plot in it somewhere. I've decided to post this part anyway, as some of the reviewers appear ready to hunt me down and hurt me if I don't get something out.
Author's whining: I've never written Hiko before so I don't know if I did very well.
Author covering her butt as usual: You may notice that the dragon (Kenshin) is more rurouni like in this chapter. I think Hiko just does that to him.
Thanks: Thanks again for all the reviews, I'm sorry that chapter updates will be so slow but I am slow and stupid enough to be writing three stories at the same time. Don't worry though, I have every intention of continuing these until they are done.
For Rei-chan: Baka deshi means stupid student and is the name that Kenshin's teacher always calls him. As an aside shishou, which is Kenshin's name for Hiko, means master or teacher, usually in a martial arts context.
For Chibi-angel: No, Hiko won't be a dragon as well, but hopefully he will get to flex his wizardly powers at some point (I hope).
For Anna-neko: I would write longer chapters if it didn't take me so long to do it (I'm very slow). Thank you for the reviews and may I say that I love your stuff, it's wonderful and funny and sexy... and I could go on for far, far too long.
More thanks: Thanks to Sage, Emiri-chan, Lady Inu Yasha, Hatokirei, Jason M. Lee, Koneko-dono, Firefury, Macy, Gypsy-chan, Kori Suketchi, Dragonfire Gal, Chibi Angel, Anna-neko, Gypsy-chan and Battousai Angel for being such faithful, funny, and helpful reviewers. Also thanks again to everyone else who reviews. I am very happy that you like this story and I hope it continues to be of interest.
The Dragon and the Maiden
By Colleen
Part Four
The Dragon and the Wizard
"Good morning shishou. I need medicine," the redhead said again quickly as he untied the bundle he had brought with him.
His godfather, Hiko the great, wizard extraordinaire and thirteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi ryu gave him an amused look and asked him, "and what would YOU need medicine for?"
His baka deshi spoke while struggling into his clothing. "It is for Kaoru, she's sick. She said she wasn't but now she is and," he looked down as he worked to loop the hakama's ties around his waist, "this time it isn't because I was naked.
THUD!
The dragon looked up to find his teacher and godfather lying on the floor flat on his back chair and all. "Baka deshi could you start that from the beginning and this time make sense?"
So while Hiko righted himself he told the wizard how he had found a girl named Kaoru tied to a stake, had taken her home, had scared her by coming up behind her naked and why he had thought she was sick the first time.
Then he had to wait for Hiko to stop laughing.
"Shishou," he said, half-reproachful, half-embarrassed. The wizard was always capable of making him feel like a hatchling and having to admit to the misunderstanding with the clothing just made it worse.
Hiko wiped the tears out of his eyes and told him to continue.
He finished off the story with the chase in the caves, her passing out when he grabbed her wrists and how bad her injuries were.
"So what are you planning on doing with her?" His godfather asked him once the tale was done.
"Get her some medicine so she can get better," was the answer.
Hiko sighed and rubbed his forehead as if in pain. "I meant after she was better, baka."
"Oh."
A moment in time passed.
"Well?!!!"
The redhead gave a guilty start. "I thought I would keep her for awhile," was the quiet answer. His shishou's expression, one of amazement and a little anger lead him to continue quickly. "Just until she's better and I find a new place for her to live. She can't go back to her village.
"No she can't go back and I suspect that that is entirely your fault."
The dragon hung his head at his teacher's pronouncement. What could he say? As annoying as it was to admit the man was right. If he hadn't stayed in the area, if he hadn't gone and taken his anger with the last two hunters that had tracked him down out on the village then they would never have been so desperate as to have done something like that to Kaoru.
Hiko shook his head over the sad state of affairs that his student had gotten himself into. "Come on," he said as he stood up. "Let's go to my workroom and I'll get you the supplies you need.
His godson looked up at him with such thanks in his eyes that the wizard began to wonder about the girl he was looking after. It was obvious that his idiot pupil cared a great deal about her, more so than he should have if the girl was a stranger to him.
Ah well, he'd pursue that thought in a few days if the girl was still with him. Right now he'd help his baka deshi to look after her.
Hiko opened the door to his workroom and stepped into a textbook description of a wizard's laboratory. Shelves of books and herbs lined the walls. The ancient tomes therein seemed to lean out over the room to watch as Hiko headed to the worktable that sat in the middle of the room. It was also covered in books and bottles and other things best not mentioned.
"Are the wounds just on her wrists or is she injured in other places as well?" The wizard asked the dragon.
"I am not sure." The redhead cast his mind back to the image of Kaoru standing by the waterfall with her kimono pulled down so she could wash. He didn't remember any other cuts or bruises but he hadn't really gotten to see very much of her.
"Well," the wizard said as he moved over to one of the bookcases and started to rummage around in the bottles of herbs there, "if she doesn't wake up soon you might have to strip her down and check. It wouldn't do to fix her wrists only to miss something worse hiding under her clothing."
The dragon swallowed hard. While the idea of walking around naked didn't faze him the though of Kaoru nude made his head spin. "Oro, she'll kill me."
Hiko gave him a snort laugh as he brought several bottles back to the table and started to grind and mix their contents. "I see you're learning fast for a change baka deshi," he said, before pondering the situation for a moment. " It would be better if you woke her so she can check for herself," he turned to look at his student, "but don't leave it too long."
The dragon nodded and hovered over the wizard as he continued to mix the herbs. Becoming annoyed with him Hiko sent him off to the supply room to get some bandages while he finished with the preparations.
His student came back overloaded with the rolls of white cloth just in time to see Hiko filling three very different containers.
"Put those down before you drop them." The younger man nodded and dumped them onto the table. Hiko opened one of the drawers that ran under the worktables counter and pulled out a canvas bag that would be large enough for the bandages and medicine. He threw it to his godson and leaving him to fill the bag with the rolls he picked up the three containers and left the room.
The redhead filled the bag quickly and holding on to it followed his godfather out of the room. He found the wizard at his desk, writing.
"I'm writing out the instructions for these," Hiko said, pointing at the containers with his chin. "I'll explain them to you now but I don't want you to forget between here and there and poison the poor girl."
The dragon opened his mouth to protest then closed it without saying anything. While he was perfectly capable of remembering the instructions it was unlikely that he would win any argument about it. Instead he just nodded and waited for his teacher to tell him what to do.
The wizard finished writing and handed the paper over to his godson. Then he pulled a length of string and a small scoop out of one of the many cubby-holes in his desk and started to tie up the container that looked like a large bento box. He crisscrossed the box as if it was a parcel and tied the scoop to it before he finished the whole thing off with a nice bow and handed it to the dragon.
"I want you to take two scoops of this and pour four cups of boiling water over it. Once it has cooled a little you should soak her wrists in it for fifteen minutes. If there are any other wounds you should make some more and clean them with the solution. After that you will have to clean her wrists and other wounds with it twice a day but you shouldn't need to do the soaking again."
His student nodded.
Hiko opened one of the lower desk drawers and pulled out a second smaller scoop and took the top off of the next container, which was a tall clay pot. He stuck the scoop into its contents and closed the lid before finding some more string and tying it closed as well.
"I want you to take one scoop of this and prepare it as a tea with two cups of water. Make her drink all of it and after that she should take one cup of it twice a day for at least the next three days. If the fever continues longer than that then you should either bring her here or get her a doctor." Hiko told him, handing him the pot.
His student gave him another, somewhat worried nod.
The third container was a flat round metal jar about the size of Hiko's palm. He picked it up and opened it by unscrewing the lid, tilting it so the other could see that it was some kind of salve. "I want you to put this on all her wounds before you bandage them. You will have to do this twice a day for at least the next five days and replace the bandages each time." He closed the lid and gave the dragon this last container.
The redhead put the concoctions into the bag with the bandages and then thanked the wizard for his help. Hiko gave another little snort laugh and said, "you're welcome, now get going. She shouldn't be left alone much longer." The dragon bowed to him and turned to go when his teacher stopped him with some parting advice. "Don't forget baka deshi she isn't a toy."
"Shishou?"
"This girl you're looking after. She isn't some toy for you to play with." The wizard held up his hands to ward off the indignant reply that the younger man was about to grace him with. "What I mean is treat her with respect and let her know that you will help her get settled into a new life. Knowing you I suspect that you've neglected to tell her that."
The wizard could tell he had hit the mark by the way his late friend's son refused to meet his eyes. With another snort he sent the young dragon on his way, certain (as always) that he had gotten through to the boy.
************
After striping down, changing, flying back to his caves, and changing form again the dragon slipped into his yukata and tied it shut before dumping the rest of his clothing and sword in a heap at the mouth of the cave. He dragged the first aid supplies into the living area and went to check on Kaoru. She was still asleep. A touch to her face told him that her fever had gotten slightly worse during the hour or so he had been gone and she whimpered at the feel of his skin against hers.
The noise she made startled him and he quickly removed his hand from her face. Looking down at her his godfather's words came back to haunt him. She was a living, breathing, hurting being and not a thing to be kept until he was tired of her. He would not forget that again and he would treat this woman with the utmost respect and courtesy. After she was better he would find her a new life as far away from him as he possibly could. He had already destroyed her old life just by being here; the least he could do was make sure that it never happened again.
The Maiden
"Kaoru... dono, Kaoru dono please wake up."
Kaoru ignored the voice that called her name. However the more desperate that voice became the more difficult it was to disregard it and stay safely asleep. So she felt relieved when the voice gave up only to be concerned again when she felt herself being moved. A sudden warmth at her back, as if someone was holding her gently from behind reassured and comforted her enough though that she slid back into the deeper darkness.
Missing the fact that her hands and wrists had just been immersed in a pot of warm water.
The Dragon
Kami, the dragon thought, I know I wanted her to wake up but if you could make sure she stays asleep for the next fifteen minutes I would be ever so grateful.
It was almost as if fate were mocking his earlier vow. His and Kaoru's current positions had to be the most disrespectful looking thing he had ever come up with. After preparing the medicine the only way he could think to get her wrists properly into the pot was for her to sit up. Since she wouldn't wake up he was now holding her from behind, his arms wrapped around her waist, while her hands soaked in the pot that he had set between her legs.
For the first five minutes he sat behind her tense and uneasy. Unconsciously, however, his body started to relax against hers. His mind may have decided that he would treat Kaoru as if she would break but his body had other ideas. Lulled by the heat and weight of her against him he tightened his hold and buried his nose in her hair. He breathed in her scent, memorizing and saving it to remember for later, for when he would be alone once again.
The Maiden
Kaoru dreamed. She was warm, warm and safe and held in loving arms. And she would have been ever so happy to stay there if it hadn't been for the dragon at her feet who kept licking her hands with a warm wet tongue. Combined with this annoyance was an added problem. She had to go to the bathroom, now. She turned to look behind her for help but she couldn't see who was holding her as that person was hiding in her hair. She looked back at the dragon who took that moment to stop licking and attempted to swallow her hands instead. She screamed as its teeth bit through her wrists and she woke suddenly to find herself in an odd if somewhat similar situation to that of her dream.
Fully awake the pain in her wrists flared back to life helped no doubt by the astringent quality of the solution she was soaking in. She attempted to wrench away from the water but was thwarted when a pair of hands grabbed her carefully, well above her injured wrists, and held her arms in place so she could not get them out of the pot. She looked behind her to see the young dragon holding her and she bit down on the whimper of fear that threatened to escape from her throat.
"Let me go."
The fingers wrapped around her arms tightened for a moment, "please do not remove them from the water, they still have to soak a few minutes longer for the medicine to work right."
Then she was free.
She grit her teeth and kept her hands in the solution. The dragon moved away from her, causing her to shiver at the sudden loss of his body heat at her back. He stood and went into the kitchen area without even looking at her.
She sat there for a few minutes, staring bleakly into the pot as if she might scrye her future in the herb specked water within. Her body started slightly to find the dragon standing beside her again. He silently held out a towel to her and she removed her water-pruned fingers from the potion and took it from him. She dried her hands and was gingerly dabbing at her wrists when a large cup appeared in front of her face along with the instructions, "drink this."
She took the cup and drank the contents, grimacing slightly at the bitter strong taste of it. She finished it quickly and was startled once again when he took the cup out of her hands and replaced it with another. She took a sip then, moving the pot and gathering her feet under her, she stood, weaving slightly once she was fully upright.
"You should not get up yet, you need more rest."
Kaoru almost felt like hissing at him. Anger broadsided her, anger that was mostly aimed at herself for blindly doing what he told her to do. She handed him back the cup; she was not going to let him treat her like a sick child that couldn't look after herself.
"I'm fine," she told him. "I just need to..." Damn she didn't want to have to tell him that.
"You need to what?"
"I need to go to the bathroom, ok?"
"Oh," he said, before picking up and handing her one of the paper lanterns. She looked at it confused.
"Just head down there," he said, pointing off into the smaller caves past the lacquered screen. "You'll know the place when you see it."
Carefully she took the lantern from him and holding the stick with two hands she turned towards the darkness.
"Oh, and Kaoru dono, please check yourself for further injuries. If there are any they will need to be cleaned and treated as well."
"She grunted in agreement, not bother to look back at him. She moved away from him as quickly as possible. Not so much to get away from him but because her whole body wanted to rebel. Walking into these caves was far too reminiscent of what had happened just a few hours ago. She forced herself to move swiftly though, not wanting to show any further weakness to the dragon.
About twenty-five paces in and a turn in the tunnel like cave the air became noticeably warmer and damper. Another fifty paces and one more turn and the passageway opened out into a cave somewhat larger than the living area she had just left.
Kaoru gasped, surprised to find that it was a grotto with a natural hot spring.
Sunlight illuminated the room, the light streaming in through a number of holes in the walls and ceilings of the cave. The sun sparkled off of some metal that was specked through the rock, the effect turning the hot spring from something useful into something enchanting.
The place was also well set up with buckets, soap and a pile of towels, which Kaoru realized was where the dragon must have gotten the one he gave her earlier. He had also, as promised, set up a lavatory area and she rushed over to make use of it.
Relief gained she started to check her body over from top to bottom. It was still stiff and sore but except for a few bruises and her wrists she didn't seem to have taken anymore damage. A brief wave of dizziness swept over her when she straightened up and she felt at her face noticing how hot she was. She sighed. It looked like the dragon was right, she would have to rest.
She reluctantly picked up the lantern from where she had set it down in her rush to use the bathroom. She really didn't want to go back. The dragon was acting stranger than usual. Somehow he was even colder and scarier than he had been before and he was making it even weirder by being extra polite when he used her name.
That thought froze her in place. Her body started to shake even worse than when she had seen the dragon naked. Only this time the emotion was anger instead of fear.
How the hell had he known her name?
End of Part Four