Disclaimer: Annoying little things, aren't these? Just click on the scroller and refer to any of the chapters before chapter 5. I'm lazy.
Blessing of the Curseda rurouni kenshin fanfic
Scroll FiveSanosuke slowly opened his weary eyes, cursing the sunlight that filtered in through the thin paper windows of the kitchen, and the hard wooden floor that drove painful kinks into his spine. He cautiously raised his hand to shield his still sensitive eyes, and froze. Something was missing. Sanosuke raised his gaze to the smooth skin of his hands and stared. All of his wounds; wars wounds and bites, they were all gone, leaving nothing but near invisible pinkish scars.
Sanosuke sat up in rapture, thoroughly enjoying the feel of his muscles working without the painful reminders of his wounds. His bandages were gone, the samurai's other injuries that had caused him much silent agony remained only as light scars. His battle torn body was completely healed, save for the slight stiffness from lying on hard wooden ground, Sanosuke felt as if he had slept fully for a week.
Wooden floor? Why was he lying on the floor of the kitchen anyways? Recent memories flooded back into his mind. That foxy woman had hit him with an old bamboo broomstick, so hard that the thing had snapped in half. Sanosuke reached up and covered the left side of his face. There was nothing; no wounds, no splinters, just smooth skin. It was if nothing had happened at all.
Confused, Sanosuke looked around him. His old used bandages were piled to a corner, along with want seemed to be a remnants of a broom. So she did hit him with a broom, but how could he have healed so quickly? Unless…no, impossible. Nothing else had changed within this kitchen to bear witness to a passage of time. There was no new dust, the rice bag looked no less than when he last saw it, and the woodpile he had created there had not one log less.
Nothing seemed to connect. Sanosuke raked a large hand through his messy spikes and sighed heavily. As he did so, Sanosuke thought that he caught the scent of burning incense. Curiosity arisen, the young soldier smoothly rolled to his feet and exit the kitchen in search of the source.
He entered the large prayer room of the small temple, catching sight of the dark-haired woman's kneeled figure before the statue of Buddha. A handful of old incense burned lazily in the rusting pot before the golden stature, the smoke wafting around the woman's slender form like the mythical clouds gods of certain religions were said to ride upon. Sanosuke studied her profile intently, perusing the pallid skin covered with a sheen of light perspiration, the slight frown of her dark brow as her full perfect lips moved silently in prayer.
Confusion seemed to be a rather popular emotion for him lately. That foxy lady was nothing but confusion herself. She seemingly hated the very existence of his being, yet who else was there that could tend to his wounds?
"Paint a picture, Tori-atama, if you're even capable of that. It'll last longer." She had not moved from her position, but her eyes were open, burning into his from the angle of her unturned head. Her clipped voice was the same acid that burned so every time. Sanosuke just made a light noise of annoyance and rolled his eyes.
"What kind of medicines did you use? To have healed me so fast?" he growled. "Witchery?" He felt almost sorry for accusing such of this beauty, but if was engraved into his nature now, from years of Aizu war.
"If you would call time black magic, then, accuse me all you wish. Only time can better all wounds." She replied simply. Her golden gaze had moved from his figure to the round one of Buddha.
"Time?!" he asked incredulously. "Then tell me how I managed to recover from my wounds within the time and space of one day?" She didn't answer immediately. After a small silence, she lowered her hands to her lap.
"Thank you," the woman finally replied, and began to stand. Sanosuke stared at her. She continued upon the perplexed expression of the young man's face.
"For proving true my earlier impression of your complete idiocy." She rose to her full height, boring into Sanosuke with piercing cinnamon eyes, hands akimbo upon her hips and nose slightly raised in disdain. A thin arched eyebrow dared Sanosuke to retaliate.
Silence balanced on a tight taut thread as the pair waged a war beyond all others, neither giving in. The lack of intentional sound allowed for other softer noises to be heard. The samurai's eyes narrowed as his sensitive ears picked up her light gasps for air, as if struggling to breath at all.
Sanosuke broke their locked gaze just as the woman began to sway slightly on her feet. She gripped the altar table stubbornly for support. As Sanosuke took a step forward to help her, she glared at him. A small bead of perspiration trailed lazily down her forehead to the tip of her nose. The soldier watched as it broke its hold to her pale skin and fell to the floor with a soft 'plip'.
He strode to her with a scowl on his face, ignoring the woman's obvious message for him to keep his place. Sanosuke took her elbow and steadied her as he firmly retracted her from the supporting altar.
"Get away from me!" she whispered harshly. She twisted her wrist, trying to escape his hold. Sanosuke released her in immediate obedience. In her pause of surprise, the lanky young man swept the slender female into a bridal style hold in one swift movement.
"Put me down!!" She began to fight with great fervor as she squirmed and writhed. Briefly, Sanosuke could almost compare her movement to that of the white fox from earlier. If she wasn't so weakened at the moment, the woman would have easily twisted away. But that thought quickly swept away to wisps of nothing as he couldn't help but notice the soft curves hidden underneath her modest attire, pressed against his own body. Flashes of fleshy white bodies leaped through his mind, each of them seemed to possess enchanting amber eyes and long silky hair.
"You stupid moron! Put me down! Down! As in slowly bend at your knees and loosening the muscles in your arms so you can let me go!" the woman's half-screech snapped Sanosuke out of his thoughts, and he looked down to study her angry face as she continued to rant and insult his being.
Beautiful.
Hauntingly so. If another female had such hollows in her cheeks as this woman did, she would have looked hideous. Sanosuke's eyebrows furrowed deeply together. She was too thin. The angles of her shoulder and hip dug into his chest. She hardly seemed to have a presence of weight at all in his arms.
"Have you eaten anything lately?" he growled. His inquiry only seemed to fuel her raging protests even more. Light brown eyes seemed to glow as her full mouth twisted.
"Of course I - - " Sanosuke cut her off, having known the answer he even asked.
"Haven't." he finished for her. No wonder nothing changed in the kitchen… Sanosuke turned from the altar and headed for the room he had seen her take to sometime before. It was the least he could try to do after her expert care of his injuries, however that she did care. For now, he won't pry too far into these suspicious matters.
"Where do you think you are taking me, baka Tori-atama?!" He tightened his arms around her and frowned slightly. More insults streamed from her mouth.
"Oh, be quiet, woman." Sanosuke finally snapped gruffly. She obeyed, surprised by the tone of his voice. He entered her chosen room and lowered her to the futon with surprising gentleness. The young samurai pulled the covers from their neatly folded state and draped them over her thin figure.
"And my name isn't 'Baka Tori-Atama'; its Sagara Sanosuke," he growled at her as she opened her mouth to speak. With such an introduction, he exited and slid close the door.
Megumi lay there, staring at where he had been. She hadn't moved since that stupid boy had dumped her on the futon and tucked her like a helpless babe. Sagara Sanosuke… that was no way to introduce oneself. Besides, Kenshin had told her what that human's name was, she just didn't believe to take the effort and learn it. Megumi narrowed her eyes slightly and scowled. Who did that baka Tori-atama think he was?
A shiver ran along her spine, and Megumi finally shifted her dark head to face the ceiling as she pulled the blankets closer around her. Briefly, she thought of the warmth of his embrace. For a moment, Megumi could almost imagine herself 5 years past. Secure, happy, and loved. Maybe she did overtax herself on her first healing. The kitsune spirit shivered again.
Megumi placed a white hand upon her forehead, wincing at the heat emitted from her head. But somehow, she couldn't blame Sagara-san. She didn't regret her actions one bit. His injuries were ridiculously numbered, there was not one area of his body that did not seem to be littered with at least light scrapes and scratches.
Her eyelids felt so heavy; now that she had finally allowed her tired body one moment's rest, it has realized how truly deprived it was. Megumi shook her head and forced them to stay open. She can't sleep, not with him in the premises. Megumi lifted her head up, propping herself up on her elbows. The room's walls roared into a vicious dance around her as strange sounds rang in her ears; as if they laughing at her weakness.
The fox-girl exhaled and allowed her leaden body to fall back. She was just too tired. As her tight control of her mind and body fell, Megumi smiled slightly as she recalled the security she took from Sanosuke's hold.
A breeze whistled past her ears as she slowly opened her eyes. Uneven gray met her cinnamon gaze, the pressures of ground against one of her sides. Megumi slowly sat up, and found herself once again on top of a high column of gray stone. Her long black hair danced in the corner of her eyes. Almost fondly, Megumi thought of how strange it was see black as this take to her hair after half a decade of snowy white.
Raising her gaze, Megumi stared at the skies of her inner space. It has changed in the day or so she was not here. Dark hues of gray still dominated this peaceful setting, yet white and amber suddenly seemed to be everywhere. The two bright colors wedged their way into every shadow, every crevice. Thought not helping to make this place anymore day-like, their presence brought out the tiniest facet of every rock and stone. Small cliffs and boulders that Megumi would have never possibly noticed before were now in sight. The swirling masses upon the dark horizons had also changed, now weaved with more amber than ever before. Somehow, despite that there no more light than before, Megumi could see her inner space in a much clearer way.
"Konnichiwa, Megumi-dono," the King of Dreams' light voice softly sounded. "How are you doing?" Megumi spun her head around and leapt to her feet, bowing her dark head to Kenshin.
"Oro! Megumi-dono, please! Sessha has asked Megumi-dono to not treat sessha so!" Kenshin's flustered voice rose to an almost feminine pitch. Megumi raised her head and stared at Kenshin's comical expression. Her shoulders began to shake as she tried to keep her laughter to herself, her full laugh would hardly be appropriate here. When Megumi found herself composed enough to speak, she took her hand away from her mouth.
"Sorry, Kenshin-san. This servant is very rude." The King of Dreams just smiled gently and shook his red head.
"Not at all, Megumi-dono. You just need not to be so formal with sessha. Sessha is but an unworthy heir of a much-respected title." Megumi looked up at Kenshin, as he occupied again the column nearby that was slightly higher elevation than hers. His hair was fiery red like always, but the spark in his amethyst eyes seemed dulled and the usual perfect posture of a swordsman was misplaced; his shoulders slumped from fatigue, and red head slightly lowered. If it was possible, his shabby hakama and gi were even more threadbare.
"Kenshin-san, What is the matter with you?" the kitsune healer inquired with immediate worry. Her sharp eyes had quickly picked out the small signs that shouldn't exist.
"Megumi-dono is very sharp, that she is. Sessha will not hide the truth from her. Lately, the Baku, the Dream Eaters, have been getting very difficult. The nightmares that they feed on are disturbing, so much that the Baku themselves are affected."
"Baku…" Megumi echoed. She had heard of these Baku before. Should a dreamer awake from a dream of ill omens, he would call upon them to eat the dream and take away what it holds. Kenshin smiled and pointed slowly to the base of a column of rock far to the side of Megumi's inner space. She followed the direction of his gaze, and saw a strange animal the size of a lion, snuffling along the rocky ground with its long nose.
"The Baku are crafty beasts; hard to catch, even harder to hold. But with the nightmares brought by bloody war, they are driven to the brink. They do not want to listen to sessha's command as for which dreams they may, or may not, consume." Megumi looked up at Kenshin's tired face.
"What will happen should they break your hold over them?" she asked quietly.
"They will consume everything. Dreams of day and night, human desire and motivation. Without the hope from dreams, all will be lost," was the King of Dreams' blunt reply. His grim face reminded the fox-girl of the stories once told of how the King of Dreams was a ruthless killer, known in nightmares as Battousai. Now, she could see how it could be the name of this peaceful little man.
"But enough of that, the Baku's lack of cooperation is but a common occurrence. Megumi-dono has yet to answer sessha's question, that she has." Kenshin blinked and then smiled. The hard glint of his narrow eyes was gone, replaced by wide Rurouni violets. Megumi ducked her head a small fraction, an act of apology for her delay in answer. As she looked back up at Kenshin, the kitsune thought sadly, How hard it must be to take a powerful position such as the King of Dreams. Such responsibilities.
"Oh, sorry, Kenshin-san! I'm perfectly healthy, just a little tired from healing that baka Tori-atama."
"Oro? Tori-atama? Rooster-head?" Kenshin asked with confusion.
"His hair sticks up like the crown of a rooster," Megumi explained calmly as if she were informing the King of Dreams of the weather. "And he squawks like one too," she couldn't help but add.
"Ah, then sessha assumes things are going well, that they are?" Kenshin inquired with an amused grin. The swirling masses of Megumi's inner space suddenly picked up speed, strange colors like blue and red appearing. A hard gust of wind streamed through the lonely rock columns, pulling both parties long locks into a wild dance.
"H–Sagara Sanosuke…" Megumi finally began after a loud silence. "He was better than I expected…" she admitted in a low voice. Kenshin continued smiling.
"Oh?" At his prompting, the suddenly shy vixen continued hesitantly.
"I bit him earlier on, as a fox, and he still offered me food. I know you made me very beautiful in the eyes of humans, Kenshin-san. Yet he didn't take advantage of my weakened state and actually seemed as if he were worried about me, Takani Megumi…" As if she had realized such observations for the very first time, Megumi frowned, her eyes downcast in deep yet vain pondering of her confusion. Now that she thought about it, the Aizu samurai's actions made no sense to her. This was supposedly to be a cruel, heartless bastard. He probably was there when they…they…no, she didn't want to think about it.
"Megumi-dono?" The rurouni's soft voice pulled Megumi from her straying thoughts. Aware of her surroundings again, Megumi that her pale hands were clenched fiercely to her sides, her full bottom lip caught painfully between her teeth. Embarrassed to be seen in such a situation, the dark haired fox hastily relaxed her tense muscles, pulling her upset facial expression to one of cool nothingness.
"Megumi-dono," the King of Dream's gentle voice sounded again with worry. "You overworked yourself while healing, didn't you? When you wake, try gathered some energy from your surroundings; it'll make you feel a little better. One would feel poorly if they expend so much energy as to need to tap into their own life force to continue survival."
Megumi stared, then scrunched her face slightly. She didn't need Kenshin to tell her that. Even the month old cubs knew to borrow energy from the life around them should they grow weak. Being human was making her stupid. A sigh escaped her; was anything in her control anymore?
"Thanks, Kenshin-san. I appreciate the advice." Megumi grudgingly inclined her head, still upset that it didn't occur to her to take to such a simple action. The violet-eyed being smiled again, his hair and clothes blowing in the now calmed currents. He suddenly leapt high into the air, and landed with nary a sound next to the vixen. Megumi watched in trance-like wonder at the feline grace of his lithe form, bending to absorb all impact. The King of Dreams stood and looked into the taller female's cinnamon eyes. Briefly, the dark-haired fox-girl couldn't help but notice how short Kenshin really was.
"I'm glad," Kenshin told as his amethyst orbs curved slightly with a tired smile. "That Megumi-dono is doing well." Megumi blinked in surprise, and then blinked again.
She found herself lying awake back in her room in the temple.
With another sigh, Megumi closed her eyes again and breathed deeply, searching for the glow of life at the corner of her soul. A generous and well-off pine near the base of the mountain gladly lent her the energy she needed.
As her body returned to health, her mind wondered shortly to the samurai soldier, Sagara Sanosuke. Maybe she should give him a chance to prove his decency despite his humanity. After all, as Kaa-chan always asked, what is light without the shadows it creates? Affirming this decision with a small nod, the fox-girl rose from the futon, grateful for the King of Dreams' advice when her body didn't cry out in pain.
Unsure of what else to do, Megumi kneeled by the futon and offered a small but heartfelt prayer for Kenshin's well-being. He had looked so tired and abused. Kenshin had looked far older than any supernatural being should ever appear.
"I'm glad, that Megumi-dono is doing well."
"'I'm'?" Megumi echoed. She gracefully rose to her feet with a slight frown to her brow, and then smiled, eyes sparkling like amber gems. She understood. And somehow, it suited her better that Himura Kenshin, as himself, cared rather than the awe inspiring King of Dreams.
"Sagara Sanosuke."
The samurai's spiky head jerked up upon hearing her voice. As he stretched out from his crouched position at the base of a supporting pillar, his brown eyes met hers. The strange woman stood at the entrance of the hallway, tall and proud as the very first time he saw her. Her face was surprisingly neutral, unmarred by signs of disdain, as was her voice. It couldn't have been more than an hour's time.
"What are you doing up?" he asked, the mask of his tenor mocking that of the soprano. "You could hardly breath or stand an hour ago." Sanosuke thought he caught a ghost of a smile to her full lips. Gratitude?
"You should have inquired as to what was wrong with me," she replied calmly. "It was nothing that a small dose of herbal medicine couldn't fix. I do have knowledge of these things." The last sentence was spoken with great pride of one's hard work and accomplishments.
She's a doctor?! Sanosuke's dark brown eyes widened as a strange taste filled his mouth. Suspicions filled his head. Witchery? Deals with inhuman beings? Black magic? The possibilities of her digressions from the human society was endless. Sanosuke forcefully shook his head to rid himself of such thoughts and swallowed down the bitter taste upon his tongue.
Don't be so quick to jump to conclusions, he told himself. A man can be a doctor; why can't a woman? Being a fellow soldier with Jou-chan certainly taught him that much. Kaoru was one of the best fighters in their squad, male or not. Sadly, few would have accepted her had she not cut her long hair and disguised herself as a man. Sanosuke's respect for this strange dark-haired beauty rose; perhaps he had underestimated her strength. Still, he knew absolutely nothing about this mysterious woman, and that never settled well with one easily suspicious as Sagara Sanosuke.
"Who are you?" he finally blurted out.
"Takani Megumi," she replied. Sanosuke just nodded, casting the goal of trying to figure out this woman aside. In time of expecting harsh insults and much inquiries to even get her first name, she gave him an immediate and clear answer instead.
Megumi continued briskly as she turned back to the room she had rested in, "Get ready to go outside, Sagara. We're going to town for my rounds." Sanosuke whirled from his prior direction towards his chosen room, and stared at where the doctor Takani had been.
What did she say?
End of Scroll Five
Author's Corner:
Woop! Thanks you all so much for your reviews and support. Maybe I should start posting review answer thingies on mine too! Oo! I feel so special. Everyone is special. Whee!!!! Hugs for all! Go caffeine and sugar at midnight!
As for those Baku, I get most of my information from this book I absolutely love. "The Dream Hunters" from the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman and Yoshitaka Amano. It's not exactly the same, but I get a lot of the information from there. It's what got me thinking about the Meg/Sano story. And somehow, its scary how much my little fic is like the actual book itself. I didn't mean for it to turn out that way. TT
I only remembered bits and pieces of the Dream Hunters when I first started "Blessing" and when I rechecked it out from the library, "HOLY CRAP!!! PLAGERISM ALERT!!!" was the first thing that popped into my head. So now I'm trying to put new things in my ficcy. -
As for Megumi thinking that human was making her stupid, don't blame me (or her). She's just stressed. Poor girl.
I jump from one subject to the next, that's why it's so hard to write a flowing story for me. Sigh. I digress much. Until next time.
P.S. Thank you, thank you, and again thank you to mushi-azn, JML, Eevee, Wistful-Eyes, and S/M! You guys have really stuck with me, and I really appreciate it!