Hi guys! My thanks to the folks who reviewed Love on Tour. Continuation?
I'll think about it first. You wouldn't want it to run like White and
Black, right? ^^ White and Black continuation? I'll also think about it
first. Fire and Magic continuation? Here it is. ^^
I'm about to introduce a new thing here, which I don't think I will propagate. Meaning, I definitely will not make a new fic out of it, like for White and Black. And, eventually, I will restore the canon match. ^^ I like the canon pair.
.............
"Ooooh! Kenshin has a woman in the house!"
"Mr. Single-for-life finally has a girl!"
A page and a younger stablehand peered through the only window of the little shack. It was an unprecedented event, and they relished the deep red on the redhead's face. A young lady was serenely asleep under a slightly tattered blanket. Her long raven hair was beautifully scattered throughout a rather thin feather pillow.
"And not just any girl, mind you!" the stablehand chided. "The palace magician!"
"ORO?! Are you serious, Sano?" the fear clearly showed in the stableman's eyes, as he answered them from beside the bed.
"Yup," added the page. "Word on the street has it that she's been banished from the palace. The snow prince got mad at her for something. You lucky guy! The only thing better is to get the princess!"
"Yahiko!" the poor stableman looked in dismay at the page and at the sleeping female.
All three suddenly noticed the young lady stir from under the covers. "I'm sorry, your highness, it won't happen again, I promise...Give me one more chance...." she muttered under her breath.
The redhaired man leaned over and carefully stroked her hair. "Everything is alright, milady, the prince will not hurt you here." The young men at the window clucked and giggled unheeded.
She continued to murmur in her sleep. "Must find him...must undo the spell....the Eyes of Malice....I must..."
"The Eyes of Malice?!" the stableman suddenly exclaimed. "One of the most dangerous spells in existence!" He assumed a very serious demeanor, one not seen in keepers of horses, and began to shake the woman hard. "Wake up, milady, please wake up! You have to tell me, who is under the Eyes of Malice? Who cast the spell? For how long has it been in effect?"
"Whoa, calm down, pal!" the stablehand jumped from the window into the shack, and restrained his friend like a royal steed. "That's no way to treat a lady!"
"But this is important, Sanosuke!" the one named Kenshin explained. "That spell gains power the longer it stays!" He shook the woman awake again. "Wake up, milady!"
It was a while more before Kaoru was awake enough to notice that she was firmly in the redhead's grasp, and his very concerned face was only a few inches away from hers. "Enishi-sama.....under the spell," she replied as she rubbed her eyes. "What is the rude awakening for....um....what should I call you?"
"Enishi?" Kenshin asked, awestruck and distant. "Not him again...."
"Does this mean you'll help me, finally, great wizard?" she inquired with a yawn.
The man suddenly released her unceremoniously, and dropped her back on the bed. He turned his back on her, walked to a corner, and tended to a pot of soup boiling over the iron stove.
"Do you want to help me, or do you want me dead?!" she protested as she rubbed her head.
"Yeah? Who wouldn't want to help the palace magician?" Sanosuke added with a jab at his friend.
"That ugly hag?" Yahiko piped in. "I wouldn't!"
The hag-ahem-the magician bounded to the window and gave the boy a few hearty whacks to the head.
"I said, milady, I am not a wizard," Kenshin quietly said as he stirred the soup.
Sanosuke shrugged. "If he says so, he says so, little lady. He's one of the most truthful people alive in the kingdom, and I've known him for five years!"
"But the Eyes of Malice," she prodded, and tugged at his sleeves. "You know about them! Tell me why you know about them! Tell me what you know!"
He kept his eyes on the pot. "I am sorry, milady. Aside from lending you a horse for your journey, I cannot help you."
"But don't you care about the prince at least a bit?!" she demanded of him, as the other two gentlemen quietly listened. "I know he's hard to live with, but he's a good man at heart, and he doesn't deserve to lose the kingdom to a spell!"
"I have no more dealings with Enishi," he almost whispered.
"What did you say, pal?" Sanosuke asked.
"N-n-nothing, Sano, nothing." He grinned uneasily at his friend.
............
The woman was alluring, very alluring. Her tresses uniformly fell to the small of her back, and swayed with each turn of her hips. Her lips seemed to call for a kiss from any man who dared come near them. Her eyes beckoned with a subtle power. Under its spell, her wish was his command.
And he was surely under its spell.
She moved with a grace that was neither innocent nor seductive, but something, something temptingly in between. As her silk blue dress danced with her steps, they displayed her beautiful ankles and calves, to the appreciation of all the men of the court. They were all in a trance before this woman, one they did not wish to break.
The spell this woman cast, complimented the sinister spell already placed on the prince. His Eyes of Malice saw beyond a pretty face and a beautiful figure, but to the woman hidden under the silk dress, lace trimmings, and binding corset. While all the other men knew for certain this beauty will never be theirs, the snowhaired prince calmly plotted ways to have her in the palace with him, at all cost.
He looked at her with lustful eyes, cocked his spectacles closer over them, and approached the delectable female.
"Your name?" he demanded, with a hand under her chin and the other caressing her silky black hair.
"Megumi, your highness," the woman calmly answered, and batted her eyes at the princess.
"What do you want from me?" he asked coolly. "The kingdom is yours for the asking," he brushed his cheek against her hair and whispered into her ear.
The princess lost all color to her face, and found herself glued to her throne, her eyes watching in shock. The chief retainer regained enough sense to notice that his highness was all over this new woman, in the presence of HER highness!
"Sou-chan....this isn't real....Sou-chan, tell me it isn't real...." Misao implored, shaking in her throne.
"Unfortunately, it is, Misao-hime," Soujirou replied. "If it is any consolation, your highness, the Overwrite spell should be activating in a few seconds."
Soon enough, they saw the telltale headache of the Overwrite. Within a matter of seconds, the prince bent over beside the charming woman, both his hands over his head, clenching his teeth with the pain.
"Something the matter, your highness?" Megumi demurely and innocently inquired.
"Infernal headache," he smirked at the woman as he stood up. "I've had it over the past two days. That annoying Kaoru....."
But he quickly lost the savagery in his eyes, and took off the spectacles. He asked the woman like he would an ordinary peasant, kindly but unemotionally, "Now what brings you before me, milady?"
Misao heaved a sigh of much relief.
Megumi, too, noticed the change, and did not welcome it. "Your highness," she stroked the prince's cheek, "I can get rid of that headache."
"That would be good," he lowered her hand away from his face, "but there is no need for too much pleasantry. The princess, you know," and he smiled toward the throne, "can be a very jealous woman."
The princess abhorred the comment, but appreciated the gesture. He was back, for the time being.
Instead of replying, the woman took out a small wand, and waved it over the prince, focusing on his snow-white head.
"What is she doing?" Misao panicked. "Soujirou, stop her! Stop her!" She got off her throne and ran toward the prince. She grabbed him by the waist, and desperately tried to shoo away the swirls forming over his head.
The chief retainer was quick on his heels, and snatched the woman's hands. She was a feisty woman, however, and wrenched herself free, with the combined power of a strong personality and a strong sorceress. Soujirou was pushed to a corner, and knocked his head on a pillar.
A few magical swirls later, her spell was complete.
The prince was not even knocked out, but remained standing before Megumi. He replaced the spectacles over his eyes, which then resumed their terrifying look. He quickly brushed away the anxious princess.
"You're perfect, Megumi," he took her into his arms and gave her a long-drawn kiss through her beautiful lips. "From this moment, you are appointed as the new palace magician."
...........
"The Overwrite is broken."
He spoke like it was an ordinary thing to know, late that morning, in a shack a mile away from the palace.
He asked Sanosuke and Yahiko to tell the chief keeper of the stables that he would not report for work, and care for a cousin. It was a more believable story than the truth. Who would believe the page that a stableman was at home with the former palace magician?
"The Overwrite, is broken," he muttered again.
Kaoru peered at his sad eyes, and questioned.
"You are probably the one who placed it on Enishi, the Temporary Overwrite," he continued, without looking at her. "A new, a stronger mage has appeared at the palace, I assume, and he or she has erased the Temporary Overwrite. At any rate, it is a weak counter to the Eyes of Malice."
"How do you know?" she asked quietly, seated on his bed.
He looked far into the fields, his head leaned over his arm on the window.
"Always an impulsive boy, Enishi, that he is," he murmured. "Takes people at face value, accepts gifts without asking questions.... The Eyes of Malice is usually given as a gift to an unwitting victim. ...It is like him to fall for it....It's partly my fault why he is like that."
"I don't understand, Kenshin," she scratched her head. "You know all of this, but still you refuse to help me?"
He did not answer.
"The book of lists does not lie," she pursued. "I know your name, and so does every other mage and magician in practice. You are the strongest mage in the kingdom, do not deny it!"
"I am not that man, Kaoru, milady," he sighed. "Not anymore."
"Not anymore!" she got out of the bed, walked to him, and forced him to look at her. "What do you mean, not anymore?"
If she expected a confession, she did not get it. Instead, the redhead smiled a happy smile at her. "I am a stableman, milady, and that is all I have been for five years. I cannot tell you why I know such things, but I assure I am telling the truth, I am not a wizard." He retrieved a walking stick near the wooden door.
"But you USED to be a wizard," she demanded.
"I am sorry, Kaoru, milady, but I have to go," he smiled again, and went out the door.
........
The ending was not supposed to be that way when I started! It's the fault of watching "The End of the Affair" and the Saitou/Kenshin fight. Sad and serious stuff. Oh, dear...
Nope, no Eni/Meg out of me on a serious basis. Too confusing, too hard to write for Meg, too hard to write for two hotheads who will fight over the fox. Final answer. Non-negotiable. I can think like Kaoru and Misao, since my personality is somewhat a mix of both of them. Megumi, I cannot sustain. Thank you for understanding.
I, tesuka-chan, Cat H, ICEANGEL, and several other writers are very very happy right now. We have a full hour of the Japanese Kyoto arc running on cable!
Reviews for Love on Tour:
Sabbie-yeah, no kidding. It was hard for me, too, to leave Eni-chan. ^^
Chiki----Thanks much. After trying to convince the world that Enishi is the best for Misao, I find myself still making Aoshi and Misao look good together. Life is weird. ^^ I'm not sure if this is one-shot or not. I'll still think about it.
Argentum Draco-In my case, the order is Kenshin, Soujirou, then Enishi. ^^
Nekonomiko-Really? Fewer A/M fics? I guess it's partly my fault-people are writing triangles or alternate pairs for Misao now. Thanks for liking it!
Noa-You can have him, no problem. I have a stake on the snow prince, though. ^^
Cat H-Sou/Mi one-shot? Somewhere in Fire and Magic, most probably. More A/M? Don't know yet. Like Aoshi-sama more than Eni-chan? Not anytime soon. ^^
Bee-thanks!
Sapphi-chan-(but I doubt she'll see this) Gambatte de gozaru yo! This got typed before we had the mall-tour conversation.
CardMistressSakura-You're welcome. ^^ You and sapphi-chan got on my nerves. ^^
Megami no ushi-No problem! I do have a few solid K/K stories before White and Black. Read up on Nine Months, it's still A/M there for the most part. ^^ More A/M? I'll see what I can do.
Reviews for Fire and Magic:
Firuze-nee-san-Really? Foresaw some things in Legendary? Well, Emode tells me I have strong precognition. ^^ We currently have Digimon 02 and 03 in my country, and I'm watching 02.
Sabbie-Thanks for the pics!
Ferai-Yup, K/K forever! ^^ I'll lessen the suffixes and honorifics, but maybe not remove them completely. I think they're cute. ^^
Cherrymecha-Thank you! My fic before this, White and Black, is rather solid E/M. ^^ The best E/M to date is Midori Natari Himura's White Tiger Jade Concubine. It's in my faves list, check it out!
Vesca-Kenshin in Calvin Klein, nice! Thanks for liking the book!
Cat-Kaoru? Encantations for the most part only. Misao? Same situation as in White and Black-which, you reminded me, I have to clarify. Of course, not as complicated as I made it in chapter 19!
Dallisse--Yup, you got it. ^^ Thanks for liking!
That's everybody! Much thanks for reading!
I'm about to introduce a new thing here, which I don't think I will propagate. Meaning, I definitely will not make a new fic out of it, like for White and Black. And, eventually, I will restore the canon match. ^^ I like the canon pair.
.............
"Ooooh! Kenshin has a woman in the house!"
"Mr. Single-for-life finally has a girl!"
A page and a younger stablehand peered through the only window of the little shack. It was an unprecedented event, and they relished the deep red on the redhead's face. A young lady was serenely asleep under a slightly tattered blanket. Her long raven hair was beautifully scattered throughout a rather thin feather pillow.
"And not just any girl, mind you!" the stablehand chided. "The palace magician!"
"ORO?! Are you serious, Sano?" the fear clearly showed in the stableman's eyes, as he answered them from beside the bed.
"Yup," added the page. "Word on the street has it that she's been banished from the palace. The snow prince got mad at her for something. You lucky guy! The only thing better is to get the princess!"
"Yahiko!" the poor stableman looked in dismay at the page and at the sleeping female.
All three suddenly noticed the young lady stir from under the covers. "I'm sorry, your highness, it won't happen again, I promise...Give me one more chance...." she muttered under her breath.
The redhaired man leaned over and carefully stroked her hair. "Everything is alright, milady, the prince will not hurt you here." The young men at the window clucked and giggled unheeded.
She continued to murmur in her sleep. "Must find him...must undo the spell....the Eyes of Malice....I must..."
"The Eyes of Malice?!" the stableman suddenly exclaimed. "One of the most dangerous spells in existence!" He assumed a very serious demeanor, one not seen in keepers of horses, and began to shake the woman hard. "Wake up, milady, please wake up! You have to tell me, who is under the Eyes of Malice? Who cast the spell? For how long has it been in effect?"
"Whoa, calm down, pal!" the stablehand jumped from the window into the shack, and restrained his friend like a royal steed. "That's no way to treat a lady!"
"But this is important, Sanosuke!" the one named Kenshin explained. "That spell gains power the longer it stays!" He shook the woman awake again. "Wake up, milady!"
It was a while more before Kaoru was awake enough to notice that she was firmly in the redhead's grasp, and his very concerned face was only a few inches away from hers. "Enishi-sama.....under the spell," she replied as she rubbed her eyes. "What is the rude awakening for....um....what should I call you?"
"Enishi?" Kenshin asked, awestruck and distant. "Not him again...."
"Does this mean you'll help me, finally, great wizard?" she inquired with a yawn.
The man suddenly released her unceremoniously, and dropped her back on the bed. He turned his back on her, walked to a corner, and tended to a pot of soup boiling over the iron stove.
"Do you want to help me, or do you want me dead?!" she protested as she rubbed her head.
"Yeah? Who wouldn't want to help the palace magician?" Sanosuke added with a jab at his friend.
"That ugly hag?" Yahiko piped in. "I wouldn't!"
The hag-ahem-the magician bounded to the window and gave the boy a few hearty whacks to the head.
"I said, milady, I am not a wizard," Kenshin quietly said as he stirred the soup.
Sanosuke shrugged. "If he says so, he says so, little lady. He's one of the most truthful people alive in the kingdom, and I've known him for five years!"
"But the Eyes of Malice," she prodded, and tugged at his sleeves. "You know about them! Tell me why you know about them! Tell me what you know!"
He kept his eyes on the pot. "I am sorry, milady. Aside from lending you a horse for your journey, I cannot help you."
"But don't you care about the prince at least a bit?!" she demanded of him, as the other two gentlemen quietly listened. "I know he's hard to live with, but he's a good man at heart, and he doesn't deserve to lose the kingdom to a spell!"
"I have no more dealings with Enishi," he almost whispered.
"What did you say, pal?" Sanosuke asked.
"N-n-nothing, Sano, nothing." He grinned uneasily at his friend.
............
The woman was alluring, very alluring. Her tresses uniformly fell to the small of her back, and swayed with each turn of her hips. Her lips seemed to call for a kiss from any man who dared come near them. Her eyes beckoned with a subtle power. Under its spell, her wish was his command.
And he was surely under its spell.
She moved with a grace that was neither innocent nor seductive, but something, something temptingly in between. As her silk blue dress danced with her steps, they displayed her beautiful ankles and calves, to the appreciation of all the men of the court. They were all in a trance before this woman, one they did not wish to break.
The spell this woman cast, complimented the sinister spell already placed on the prince. His Eyes of Malice saw beyond a pretty face and a beautiful figure, but to the woman hidden under the silk dress, lace trimmings, and binding corset. While all the other men knew for certain this beauty will never be theirs, the snowhaired prince calmly plotted ways to have her in the palace with him, at all cost.
He looked at her with lustful eyes, cocked his spectacles closer over them, and approached the delectable female.
"Your name?" he demanded, with a hand under her chin and the other caressing her silky black hair.
"Megumi, your highness," the woman calmly answered, and batted her eyes at the princess.
"What do you want from me?" he asked coolly. "The kingdom is yours for the asking," he brushed his cheek against her hair and whispered into her ear.
The princess lost all color to her face, and found herself glued to her throne, her eyes watching in shock. The chief retainer regained enough sense to notice that his highness was all over this new woman, in the presence of HER highness!
"Sou-chan....this isn't real....Sou-chan, tell me it isn't real...." Misao implored, shaking in her throne.
"Unfortunately, it is, Misao-hime," Soujirou replied. "If it is any consolation, your highness, the Overwrite spell should be activating in a few seconds."
Soon enough, they saw the telltale headache of the Overwrite. Within a matter of seconds, the prince bent over beside the charming woman, both his hands over his head, clenching his teeth with the pain.
"Something the matter, your highness?" Megumi demurely and innocently inquired.
"Infernal headache," he smirked at the woman as he stood up. "I've had it over the past two days. That annoying Kaoru....."
But he quickly lost the savagery in his eyes, and took off the spectacles. He asked the woman like he would an ordinary peasant, kindly but unemotionally, "Now what brings you before me, milady?"
Misao heaved a sigh of much relief.
Megumi, too, noticed the change, and did not welcome it. "Your highness," she stroked the prince's cheek, "I can get rid of that headache."
"That would be good," he lowered her hand away from his face, "but there is no need for too much pleasantry. The princess, you know," and he smiled toward the throne, "can be a very jealous woman."
The princess abhorred the comment, but appreciated the gesture. He was back, for the time being.
Instead of replying, the woman took out a small wand, and waved it over the prince, focusing on his snow-white head.
"What is she doing?" Misao panicked. "Soujirou, stop her! Stop her!" She got off her throne and ran toward the prince. She grabbed him by the waist, and desperately tried to shoo away the swirls forming over his head.
The chief retainer was quick on his heels, and snatched the woman's hands. She was a feisty woman, however, and wrenched herself free, with the combined power of a strong personality and a strong sorceress. Soujirou was pushed to a corner, and knocked his head on a pillar.
A few magical swirls later, her spell was complete.
The prince was not even knocked out, but remained standing before Megumi. He replaced the spectacles over his eyes, which then resumed their terrifying look. He quickly brushed away the anxious princess.
"You're perfect, Megumi," he took her into his arms and gave her a long-drawn kiss through her beautiful lips. "From this moment, you are appointed as the new palace magician."
...........
"The Overwrite is broken."
He spoke like it was an ordinary thing to know, late that morning, in a shack a mile away from the palace.
He asked Sanosuke and Yahiko to tell the chief keeper of the stables that he would not report for work, and care for a cousin. It was a more believable story than the truth. Who would believe the page that a stableman was at home with the former palace magician?
"The Overwrite, is broken," he muttered again.
Kaoru peered at his sad eyes, and questioned.
"You are probably the one who placed it on Enishi, the Temporary Overwrite," he continued, without looking at her. "A new, a stronger mage has appeared at the palace, I assume, and he or she has erased the Temporary Overwrite. At any rate, it is a weak counter to the Eyes of Malice."
"How do you know?" she asked quietly, seated on his bed.
He looked far into the fields, his head leaned over his arm on the window.
"Always an impulsive boy, Enishi, that he is," he murmured. "Takes people at face value, accepts gifts without asking questions.... The Eyes of Malice is usually given as a gift to an unwitting victim. ...It is like him to fall for it....It's partly my fault why he is like that."
"I don't understand, Kenshin," she scratched her head. "You know all of this, but still you refuse to help me?"
He did not answer.
"The book of lists does not lie," she pursued. "I know your name, and so does every other mage and magician in practice. You are the strongest mage in the kingdom, do not deny it!"
"I am not that man, Kaoru, milady," he sighed. "Not anymore."
"Not anymore!" she got out of the bed, walked to him, and forced him to look at her. "What do you mean, not anymore?"
If she expected a confession, she did not get it. Instead, the redhead smiled a happy smile at her. "I am a stableman, milady, and that is all I have been for five years. I cannot tell you why I know such things, but I assure I am telling the truth, I am not a wizard." He retrieved a walking stick near the wooden door.
"But you USED to be a wizard," she demanded.
"I am sorry, Kaoru, milady, but I have to go," he smiled again, and went out the door.
........
The ending was not supposed to be that way when I started! It's the fault of watching "The End of the Affair" and the Saitou/Kenshin fight. Sad and serious stuff. Oh, dear...
Nope, no Eni/Meg out of me on a serious basis. Too confusing, too hard to write for Meg, too hard to write for two hotheads who will fight over the fox. Final answer. Non-negotiable. I can think like Kaoru and Misao, since my personality is somewhat a mix of both of them. Megumi, I cannot sustain. Thank you for understanding.
I, tesuka-chan, Cat H, ICEANGEL, and several other writers are very very happy right now. We have a full hour of the Japanese Kyoto arc running on cable!
Reviews for Love on Tour:
Sabbie-yeah, no kidding. It was hard for me, too, to leave Eni-chan. ^^
Chiki----Thanks much. After trying to convince the world that Enishi is the best for Misao, I find myself still making Aoshi and Misao look good together. Life is weird. ^^ I'm not sure if this is one-shot or not. I'll still think about it.
Argentum Draco-In my case, the order is Kenshin, Soujirou, then Enishi. ^^
Nekonomiko-Really? Fewer A/M fics? I guess it's partly my fault-people are writing triangles or alternate pairs for Misao now. Thanks for liking it!
Noa-You can have him, no problem. I have a stake on the snow prince, though. ^^
Cat H-Sou/Mi one-shot? Somewhere in Fire and Magic, most probably. More A/M? Don't know yet. Like Aoshi-sama more than Eni-chan? Not anytime soon. ^^
Bee-thanks!
Sapphi-chan-(but I doubt she'll see this) Gambatte de gozaru yo! This got typed before we had the mall-tour conversation.
CardMistressSakura-You're welcome. ^^ You and sapphi-chan got on my nerves. ^^
Megami no ushi-No problem! I do have a few solid K/K stories before White and Black. Read up on Nine Months, it's still A/M there for the most part. ^^ More A/M? I'll see what I can do.
Reviews for Fire and Magic:
Firuze-nee-san-Really? Foresaw some things in Legendary? Well, Emode tells me I have strong precognition. ^^ We currently have Digimon 02 and 03 in my country, and I'm watching 02.
Sabbie-Thanks for the pics!
Ferai-Yup, K/K forever! ^^ I'll lessen the suffixes and honorifics, but maybe not remove them completely. I think they're cute. ^^
Cherrymecha-Thank you! My fic before this, White and Black, is rather solid E/M. ^^ The best E/M to date is Midori Natari Himura's White Tiger Jade Concubine. It's in my faves list, check it out!
Vesca-Kenshin in Calvin Klein, nice! Thanks for liking the book!
Cat-Kaoru? Encantations for the most part only. Misao? Same situation as in White and Black-which, you reminded me, I have to clarify. Of course, not as complicated as I made it in chapter 19!
Dallisse--Yup, you got it. ^^ Thanks for liking!
That's everybody! Much thanks for reading!