Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin and am just borrowing its characters for a few chapters. The main idea isn't my own, but what's in between and the dialogue is my very own. Most of you who are told Fairy Tales know that there is hardly any dialogue at all, mostly just words from the narrator. In my culture, family really, Fairy Tales are all told in a poetic sense and there isn't any dialogue at all, so therefore I had to add to it.
My Rants: Thank you all for your reviews! While I was reading them, I couldn't help but notice that some of you thought that this was like Sleeping Beauty…. Truth be told, is that an American Fairy Tale? I apologize, but I've only been in the States for so long and I'm completely clueless as to what Sleeping Beauty is about…. So I'm sorry if it seems that I'm copying it, but I'm going off of a Vietnamese Fairy Tale and even then I'm not writing in the form that it's told in. If anyone could give me a brief summary of what it's about then I'd be very grateful! Sorry if my writing is a bit hard to read, I'm a bit new at this whole writing thing….
A Virgin's Curse
Written By Night Mistress
Part Two
One month, it was only one month away; her 18th birthday. She would have danced around with joy and glee that she'd finally be an adult if it weren't for the fact that today was her wedding day. Only one more month and she'd have had the right to marry whom ever she chose, but the Fate's had intervened and had decided that today she would wed. It didn't make her any happier that she'd have to leave Japan, the only home she knew, and leave for Europe with her husband; Prince Yukishiro Enishi of England.
Sighing from her thoughts, 17-year-old Seijuurou Kaoru stood up from in front of her mirror and looked at her reflection thoroughly. Her ebony locks that seemed almost violet when struck by sunlight were placed neatly into a heart-shaped bun; an assortment of pins and ribbons keeping her hair from falling into her rouge covered face. She smiled when her azure colored eyes fell upon the ruby pendant around her neck. For as long as she could remember she had always worn the necklace, not once had she ever been seen without the lovely item around her neck; she cherished it more than anything.
Ignoring the servants as they fused over her, she spread her arms out parallel to the ground so that they could inspect her wedding dress better.
"You look beautiful Princess Kaoru," spoke one of the three servants in her room that were helping her get dressed for her big day, as she secured the yellow obi around the teenagers waist.
"The red silk kimono fits you perfectly," commented another servant as she made sure there were no wrinkles on the dress.
"The carriage should be coming soon to pick you up to Sapphire Meadow, Princess," noted the youngest of the three as the girl added a golden butterfly pin to Kaoru's hair carefully.
Kaoru easily shut them out of her thoughts as she went back to brood about her wedding day. She couldn't believe that she'd have to wed outside of the castle walls; she had expected her wedding to be done within the castle like all of her female relatives before her. If her husband hadn't insisted that they had a traditional wedding of both cultures at once, then they'd be having the wedding at home instead of outside in the country and away from proper security. She had a gut feeling that something bad was going to happen, and every time she tried to tell her tousan that they should hold off on the wedding he'd yell at her for being inconsiderate of her future soul mate.
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts as she watched the youngest of her servants greet the visitor.
"Emperor Hiko," greeted the servant with a low bow as the other servants rushed over towards the door and bowed to the man.
The Emperor of Japan waved a dismissive hand towards the servants upon stepping into the room.
"Your Majesty," acknowledged Kaoru with a light bow when her servants left the room and closed the door behind them.
"It's your wedding day Kaoru, don't be so formal," spoke her father, his deep and powerful voice bringing a smile to the bride's lips.
Kaoru's father was a tall and built man who took pride in his long black mane that was always in a low ponytail; the rest of his dark terraces cascading on his shoulders. As Emperor, he always wore a red and white cape that flowed gracefully behind him; revealing the blue clothing that he wore underneath with every movement that he made. Seijuurou Hiko was born to rule and his powerful aura and ego wouldn't allow anyone to forget that he was Emperor.
"Father, must I marry so soon? I mean, I barely know my future husband! How do you expect me to marry someone that I haven't even met before?" asked Kaoru, her eyes following her otousan as he walked towards the window.
Falling into a deadly silence, Hiko looked out of the window and watched they dying sun's rays hit the floor that was covered in tatami mats.
His dark charcoal eyes took in his daughter's room and fell on the mountain scene painted screen that was placed in the right corner and then the mirror stand that was to the left. Noting that her futon was neatly folded and placed in the center of the large room, he only shook his head at how spacious the room was and could have seemed like a servant's quarters if it weren't for the closet that was filled from top to bottom with beautiful yakatas and kimonos.
Kaoru only cocked her head to the right as she blinked when her father suddenly turned around and grinned at her.
"You're nothing like a princess, in fact if you weren't so beautiful and well mannered then I'd have mistaken you for a merchant's daughter instead of my own," said the Emperor truthfully, trying to make his statement seem like an insult.
The 17-year-old strained herself from rolling her eyes; he had purposely changed the subject.
"Kaoru, girls your age are already married and are already about to bare their second infant. You must realize that I won't always be here for you; I'm growing old. My last wish is to see my only daughter wed and with child before I leave this world," Hiko spoke sincerely as he stared into Kaoru's sapphire depths, hoping that she understood that her future depended on this wedding.
"Can't we wait to have the wedding once I've gotten to know Prince Yukishiro better and learned the customs of England? If I am to be there queen, then I do not wish to do something disrespectful once I arrive," said Kaoru, trying to find an excuse to stall her from having to make her vows.
"Seijuurou Kaoru, I would have thought that I raised you to be more considerate of everything around you! Do you know what would happen to my reputation and Prince Enishi's if I were to go before those people in Sapphire Meadow and announce that the wedding is to be postponed, all because my selfish daughter doesn't want to get married today? These people have traveled for days just to see your wedding and now you wish to tell them to turn around? The daughter that I taught would face her problems head on, not make excuses to get out of it," said the Emperor of Japan as he shook his head disappointedly; his arms crossed over his chest as he closed his eyes.
Kaoru only bowed her head in shame as her father calmed down and sighed.
"The carriage is here to pick you up. Just try to be happy and enthusiastic as everyone else, for my sake and your own Kaoru. Your mother wouldn't have wanted you to be so sad on your wedding day," said the aging King as his face softened.
Seijuurou Kaoru only smiled weakly at her father's words.
"The bride is supposed to be one of the first to arrive at the ceremony; you better leave before they begin to think that you've became a run away bride," chuckled Hiko as he opened the door for his daughter.
"Thank you tousan," whispered Kaoru as she flung her arms around her father's neck for one last hug before lifting her kimono and rushing down the steps that led up to her tower.
"If only all of you were here to see her now; our little virgin is about to grow up," whispered Hiko as he smiled before closing the door behind him and slowly descending the steps towards his own carriage that awaited him.
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"My Lord, do you really think that it'll be safe to attack such a well guarded wedding?" questioned a man in a gray hakama and blue gi, his long black hair let down as a red bandana wrapped around his forehead.
Ten other men stood behind him, all clothed in the same type of uniform with swords, arrows, or spears to their sides as they rode on horseback. They were all positioned on a hill that overlooked the main dirt road towards Sapphire Meadow, each one awaiting their Leader to give them the signal to attack the upcoming ceremony.
One man stood out above the rest of them, a deadly aura wrapping around his form that gained him respect if his position as Leader didn't. His blood mane danced with the wind in its high ponytail as his golden depths scanned the road beneath them. A cross shaped scar on his left cheek proved that he was a skilled fighter and his aura more than made up for his small structure.
"Katsu's right, do you really want to risk getting caught?" asked a taller man to the Leader's right, his brown spiky hair and bandaged fists telling everyone who saw him that he was an ex-gangster of some sort.
"We're not going to get caught. If you want to back out now Sanosuke, then you're free to leave. The only thing that I want from this wedding is the bride, and if things go accordingly the Princess of Japan will never make it to the aisle," said their Leader with a grin as he stared down the road, hoping to catch a glimpse of a carriage.
"Lord Battousai, why are you going through so much trouble just to get Princess Kaoru? I'm sure that we can find a girl just as pretty as she is in a nearby village," said Katsu as he rode to the left of his Leader.
"No! She's not going to go through with this wedding, not so long as I have air in my body. I'll do this on my own if I have to," said Battousai as his fists clenched on the reins, his knuckles turning a deadly white.
"Calm down man, we never said that we weren't going to help you get the girl. If it means that much to you then I guess I can spare a few minutes of my life and offer my assistance," said Sanosuke with a grin towards Battousai.
The other eight men cheered, happy to be able to help the man that allowed them to have a second chance at life and begin anew.
Battousai turned around and nodded at them before catching a glimpse of the white carriage that held the Princess of Japan. He only grinned as he saw guards walking in front and behind of it; he had expected it to be much more difficult to get to the bride, but from the looks of the men it'd be easier than he thought. Unsheathing his katana and letting out a battle cry, he led his men forward and into what they didn't realize was actually a rescue.
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Ending Rants: That's all for now, I hope that you guys liked it! I know it's confusing but when I first heard the story I kept asking my grandfather if he had forgotten that Kaoru was the Princess of China, but he made me wait to find out so therefore I'm making you guys wait!