Disclaimer: There is something called a "patent". Then there is something called a "copyright", as well something called "ownership". How does all this tie in together? With an action known of "plagiarism", one can end up being subjected to another action known as "suing". And quite frankly, Shiroi doesn't care too much to be sued. And of course, Rurouni Kenshin belongs to the great deity Nobuhiro Watsuki.
~ Blessing of the Cursed ~~ a rurouni kenshin fanfic ~
~Scroll Three~Sanosuke stared up at the sky, leaning comfortably against one of the four tall red columns in the main room of the temple. The gaping hole in the roof, still unfixed, allowed delicate snowflakes to float into the temple floor and cast a strange light to the semi-darkness of the temple room. Sanosuke chuckled to himself at how harmless and surprisingly beautiful the fragile bits of lace seemed as they descended slowly to the wooden floor, vanishing upon contact.
A small fire danced next to the samurai's still form, doing little to the dark room save lending a comforting heat to the figure next to it. A slab of deer meat roasted slowly over the orange flames, giving off a delicious smell. He felt strangely at peace, despite the dark dusty walls around him, the lack of others, or the ubiquitous chill in the air, and the fact that he was stuck in the middle of nowhere in a dilapidated temple or that he ran out of bodily fuel yesterday. There was no hustle and bustle of a war camp, with clanking soldiers scrambling to obey their superiors' orders. Everything now was hurried and completed with haste, since invaders from different lands grew bolder with each passing day. To just sit there and watch the snowfall, alone, it felt right. Yet, something seemed to be missing to complete this peaceful picture. Sanosuke growled and shook his head to rid himself of these thoughts. Being by himself for only a week's time was turning him into a philosophically blabbering idiot.
Sanosuke looked down from the hole in the roof to the roasting hunk of meat on the spit. Out of the corner of his sharp brown eyes, he glimpsed a flash of white and dark amber hues. Heh, let the little foxy think it's hiding. He frowned at the slight discomfort of being stalked by a fox but shrugged it off. Most likely, the fox decided Sagara Sanosuke somewhat trustworthy, but wished to hang around and ensure its judgment. That was no ordinary foxy. Sanosuke probed the meat with his dagger, testing how well done it was.
Burning his fingers, the hungry samurai juggled the speared meat until the stick protruding as the temporary spit cooled enough to hold comfortably. Blowing on it to cool it, Sanosuke opened his jaws to chomp deeply in when he suddenly thought of the little kitsune. Poor thing, he remember how thin it had been, with its distinct ribs that jutted out oddly. Sanosuke growled and turned back to his food, once again opening his mouth to bite. Ungrateful little kitsune, it can get its own food, after mutilating his poor hand like that. After another heartbeat, Sanosuke uncertainly closed his mouth again with a sigh. Ungrateful and aggressive as the little creature was, it still was only trying to survive, like anyone else would.
"Stupid, insufferable, ungrateful little ball of stupid fur…" Sanosuke grumbled to himself as he tore a piece of meat from his share. Stupid conscience, stupid fox, stupid….BURN! He hissed as his already red fingers turned to the color of raw meat, tossing the meat in the air as he blew frantically on his abused digits. Sanosuke caught the airborne morsel and with another uncertain glare at the now-cool meat, extended it slowly to the startled little fox.
Dark amber eyes only narrowed at him as the fox refused to budge from its shelter in the shadows. But its elegant black nose twitched at the smell that the food gave off. Sanosuke raised an eyebrow, calmly returning the cool gaze of the white fox. Their staring contest ensued for long moments, before the fox finally blinked and edged forward on wary paws. It gave Sanosuke one long searching look and snatched the offered meat from the Aizu samurai's fingers with a swift snap of its jaws. He chucked at the mocking bounce of the high busy tail as the white fox disappeared quickly back into the shadows to eat.
~*~
"Traitor!" Megumi growled at herself. "Eating out of his hand like that!" But she had been so hungry…Megumi snarled lightly at herself, but blinked back the confused and frustrated tears in her eyes. The human contradicted everything she held true for his kind; burning himself and going through the trouble to actually offer a portion of his already limited food supply to a wild animal that so viciously attacked him. His actions elicited strange tightness within her chest, and as much as she hated to admit it, Megumi was touched. And thoroughly perplexed. Weren't the humans supposed to cruel and heartless monsters? They certainly pictured sadistic bastards perfectly when they stood there so coldly watching the burning tomb of innocent lives. But…but…but, then again, her ancestors had helped these said bastards for so many centuries, willingly.
"Is there something that I've yet to learn and understand about humans…?" Megumi whispered softly to herself with great uncertainty. She rolled her tongue slowly within her mouth, savoring the lingering taste of the delicious meat. There was a reason why her ancestors, her parents, her family worked so hard to help these fur-less creatures that decided themselves so much better than any other animal. Yet, even as a Healer, Megumi couldn't seem to grasp it. Confusedly, she shook her head and rose to her paws with one fluid movement. With a swish of her snowy white tail, she disappeared down one of the halls. Megumi ignored the sense of unease that pressed to the back of her neck as the sharp eyes of the strange Aizu samurai acknowledged her exit from the room. She slipped into one of the unused rooms and out of a small hole in the thin wooden wall.
Megumi picked her way in the snow, searching out protruding rocks that relieved her of the hassle of plowing through snow several feet thick. She carefully made her way to her small but snug den, not far from the little temple tucked away under the protective cliff. Upon entering the protected cleft between two particularly large stones along the cliff, Megumi turned several times and curled into a comfortable fluffy ball. Before tucking her warm furry tail over her nose, she reached over to a corner and nudged within her hold a small sealed jar. This jar of fox salve had remained sealed for five years, carefully loved and treasured by the kitsune spirit as the last reminder of her late family clan. Megumi held the tiny jar to her side lovingly as faded images floated through her mind. She was tired, her bewildered mind a convoluted mess of frayed nerves. The past days of watching the Aizu samurai with great suspicion brought upon Megumi nothing but confusion. Perhaps sleep will give her a few hours of oblivious bliss, and may she dream of her family clans' faces.
~*~
"Megumi-dono?"
Eh…? Who is it…? Megumi slowly opened her eyes, and blinked. And blinked a few more times. This wasn't her cozy little den, snug with hues of gentle brown. Alarmed, Megumi hastily rose to her paws, the small jar tucked between them dropping and rolling a small distance away. A cool current of wind whipped about her, throwing her soft white fur in a frenzied dance as it whistled lightly within her ears. She was standing on a high column-like rock, the ground below hidden by gray storming clouds littered with white lightning. Surrounding her were countless more columns like the one Megumi occupied, uneven and jagged, protruding through the clouds and reaching for the wispy dark gray expanse above. Everything was characterized by shades of gray, the only color provided in this gray world were the swirling masses randomly placed upon horizons that mixed pure blackness, the grays around it, and the piercing amber that so characterized the eyes of the Shadow fox clan of spirit kitsunes. Despite this strange bleak world's dreary appearance, Megumi could sense the underlying weavings of tranquility and acceptance.
"Megumi-dono?" the voice asked again, from behind Megumi. She whirled around, meeting the clear amber eyes of another fox. He stood on a slightly more elevated column close to Megumi's, looking curiously down at her. The strange fox's fur was a fiery red, dancing in the wind like soft flames. His kind gentle amber eyes seemed to glow against the drab background. Megumi ignored all of it, baring her teeth suspiciously at the red fox.
"Who are you? And where am I?" she snapped, hackles raised to warn him. The fox only smiled sadly. Megumi glared at him, before her eyes abruptly widened as another thought struck her.
"You're a spirit kitsune! Why didn't you help my family back then? You obviously know of my situation, yet you just sit there smiling like a fur-faced idiot! Why didn't you even sho- - "
"Maa, maa, Megumi-dono!" the strange red fox interjected with a sheepish look upon his face, waving one of his front paws in a calming gesture. "Please allow sessha to explain, de gozaru yo! Sessha is no spirit kitsune like yourself, de gozaru. Rather, sessha appeared in this form in hopes that Megumi-dono would be more comfortable conversing with sessha than with sessha's true form, de gozaru. Please accept sessha's apology for trying to deceive Megumi-dono." Megumi raised an incredulous eyebrow.
"Dono? Maa, maa? Sessha? De gozaru yo…?" she echoed. The sharp gears within her mind turned quickly, anger temporarily placed upon the backburner. Could it be…? It fits; amber eyes, extreme politeness… Megumi glanced up at the carefree smiling face of the strange red fox. Her acute eyes locked quickly upon a nearly unnoticeable cross-shaped scar upon his left cheek.
"You're…you're the King of Dreams!" Megumi declared with slight awe. The King of Dreams' smile grew wider.
"You are sharp Megumi-dono, de gozaru yo," he claimed. "Oro!" the King of Dreams suddenly yelped when he saw white vixen lay her head low to the ground in a respectful bow.
"Please don't do that Megumi-dono, de gozaru yo! Sessha is but a family friend!" Megumi lifted her head, giving the modest and eccentric King of Dreams a look.
"Pardon my rudeness," she began, "but your Highness are quite strange. As figure of such power, your Highness prefers to lower your Highness below even the common stranger. Your Highness, as the lord of the Realm That is Not There, seek to present yourself in a way that results with your Highness's companion comfortable." The King of Dreams merely smiled and nodded, agreeing with every word that exited from the white vixen's mouth.
"Please call me Kenshin," he said. "It can be said that sessha grows uncomfortable with everyone groveling at my feet." Megumi smiled uncertainly as him, unsure of how to really react. He was so easy to talk to, like a long-lost friend…but he was the King of Dreams.
"Yes, your Hi- Kenshin-san. You don't need to keep your fox form. Kenshin-san may have a physical form that resembles that of a human, and I may dislike humans, but Kenshin-san is an exception…"
"Thank you, Megumi-dono. Then Sessha will resume his true form, de gozaru." Kenshin allowed the floating fire-red edges of his shape to diffuse and form the shape of a small man with fiery hair. Now, the famed cross-shaped scar blared like a lantern in the night, vicious and angry as the day it was cut. The great King of Dreams wore his long tresses in a low ponytail at the base of his slender neck, his humble image highlighted by the threadbare hakama and gi. With the sword at his side, Kenshin looked everything the wandering swordsman.
Megumi just rolled her eyes and raised an eyebrow at Kenshin, surer of herself with the appearance of Kenshin's rurouni state. Trust the famed comrade of her ancestor to display himself as such. She ignored the confused "Oro?" from the redhead. Then again, this was the guy that just decided to up her away from her den and dump her on an impossibly high stone column in the middle of who-dares-to-say-where...
"…Erm, Kenshin-san?"
"Hai, Megumi-dono?"
"Where am I?"
"Megumi-dono's inner space."
"Why am I here?"
"To ask Megumi-dono's permission to change her form to that of a female human."
"…"
"Is something wrong, Megumi-dono?"
"…No…I'm just wondering why would Kenshin-san wishes to do as he spoke of. I trust of Kenshin-san's decisions."
"…"
"Kenshin-san?"
Kenshin smiled that smile of his again, wistful, amber storms rolling within his orbs, yet strangely at peace.
"Megumi-dono knows sessha is an old friend of her family's. Centuries past, sessha made a promise to one of Megumi-dono's ancestors, Megumi-dono's great-grandfather to be exact. He had asked sessha to nurture and protect his children should…should anything come to happen to his clan."
"Kenshin-san never appeared such as he does now to me the past years to though!" Slight hurt and betrayal laced through Megumi's voice, wobbling to keep such emotions at bay.
"There was no need to be sighted by Megumi-dono's eyes. Sessha has had need to do very little."
"Until now?"
"Yes. Sessha promised to not only protect, but to nurture Megumi-dono as well and guide you on the path to your fullest potential." Megumi sat down on her hindquarters with a small sigh. She didn't get where the thousands years old King of Dreams was going. As if he read her mind, Kenshin continued.
"There are many things Megumi-dono needs to learn about the world. Intellectually, you are more than well prepared, but life is much more than factual literature. Forgive sessha for trying to arrange a situation that will hopefully teach Megumi-dono new things."
"Forgiven, Kenshin-san."
"Sessha believes that the Aizu samurai Sagara Sanosuke has much that he may be able to teach you. In a human form, you will be able to communicate more directly with him." Megumi leapt to her paws, staring at Kenshin in horror.
"You're kidding me! You're really thinking of sticking me in that old temple to live with him?!" Kenshin merely, again, smiled, amused at the reaction to his idea.
"Three months, that is all sessha asks of Megumi-dono. Sagara Sanosuke-dono seemed like a perfectly nice man during the past week."
"…" Megumi remained silent, torn between her own feelings and the advice of the great and powerful King of Dreams, loyal to her family for the centuries and wise with the years behind him.
"Can Megumi-dono listen to sessha's details?" Megumi nodded hesitantly, and sat back down. She didn't meet Kenshin's amber eyes.
"Sessha thought it would be well if Megumi would be a medicine woman. Sessha can plant the needed memories in the minds of the villagers in the nearby town in the land of Kyoto. Megumi-dono would have came by them three months ago, and asked for a place to set up her medicines. The abandoned temple near the Aizu/Kyoto borderline would have been suggested. The villagers shall think that they have always turned to Megumi-dono for help. A week ago, you left for more medicine supplies, just now returning to find Sagara Sanosuke-san living in your home. Out of the kindness of your heart for the soldier– " at this point, Megumi snorted softly "- Megumi-dono allows him to stay for the time being with you. If you agree to my advice, I shall lull the battles of Aizu for three months and ensure he stays for the full time period."
"I have to deal with more than one human?" Megumi asked softly several moments after Kenshin finished his explanations. It was stupid question, both of them knew it. But neither acknowledged that fact out loud. Both of them also realized the need for Megumi to ask such a question for the final infirmity to guide her to the decision, the need to hear the vocal answer and confrontation to the wounded spirit kitsune's deep loathing for humans.
"Yes."
"…" Megumi stood again; her slender neck long and proud, defiant against the battering forces that have plagued her so all her life.
"Alright then, I agree with you. I accept your advice, King of Dreams." Her voice quavered not once, strong and sure. Just like the violent grudge still embedded within her heart.
The lazy swirling centers set on the horizon of Megumi's inner space sped up, the swirling colors becoming but blurs of nothing. Suddenly they erupted with a blast of bright hues, throwing the heavy shadows so prominent in the space away to corners unseen. Neither being watching the show blinked, only viewing with blank casualness. Megumi turned from the rapid bullets of color blobs to meet the amber gaze of the King of Dreams. He smiled kindly, and nodded. Megumi nodded back and turned to the colorful display of colors. She closed her eyes to the gentle warmth that gathered around her.
~*~
Megumi slowly allowed her closed eyes to open at the rush of cool air that caressed her face. She put up one hand to block away the blinding glare of many faceted ice crystals and froze. Quickly rushing to her feet, Megumi stared at the pale slender hands in front of her. When she tried to curl her paws, the graceful digits before her curled in fists. She turned her hands around, staring at the different angles. As Megumi lowered her head, a curtain of black silk intercepted her vision. Black hair, unlike the snowy white that she possessed for so long. At the moment, she wore a purple smock-like over a long kimono. She felt her body's shape under the clothing. Megumi traced with wonder the graceful lines of her shoulders, arms, from her breasts to the narrow waist that tapered to into the end of her hourglass figure upon long slender legs.
Tearing herself from her state of curiosity, Megumi gathered the strange basket within her arms and studied her surroundings. She was right outside the gate into the temple walls. The small jar of fox salve lay at her feet, a small blemish upon the smooth blanket of snow. She bent to pick it up and place it into her basket, acknowledging the tightening and loosening of all the muscles that worked her simple action. Megumi had read all about the typical bodies that she would have encountered as a Healer. She took several steps forward, testing the workings of her new form. Sure that she could move with the grace Megumi had so prided herself with in her fox form, Megumi approached the large wooden doors that led into the courtyard of the temple grounds. Throwing them open with surprising strength, Megumi marched with an air of authority to the main doors. She knew the source of a grueling test lay beyond those doors, but Megumi raised her hand without hesitation to knock. She tapped her knuckles briskly against the aging wood, the hollow sound echoing through the courtyard.
~*~
~End of Scroll Three~
A.N.: I sorry! I haven't the time to even work on this for the past weeks. Ergs, homework. I don't need to say more. School….shudder. Anyways. Please review and tell whatcha think. Very boring, no action, I know, but bear with me on this more-romance-than-action/adventure-fanfic. I'm very wordy, and very lazy. Bad combination.