11th year of the Meiji era,
Someplace in China.
A small group of dusty travelers crested the last ridge separating them from a vivid green valley dotted with many sapphire springs large and small.A rather odd sight this valley's many springs were each graced with one or more
bamboo poles sticking out of the center, they stood like silent sentinels in the gloom of sunset fading to dusk.
"I can't believe we're lost AGAIN Kenshin!" Sanoske complained for what must have been the fifth time in the last hour. The Ex-Fighter for Hire Looked up at the lazy wisps of vanishing day light. The darkening sky clung to the last golden rays of light disappearing behind the distant mountains. His redheaded companion nodded in agreement and scanned the road ahead that wound down into the valley judging how far they could travel before darkness completely enveloped the sky.
Kenshin was almost sure at this point that they would need to camp out for at least this one night before reaching the next town, a fact none of his companions would appreciate and he loathed the idea of having to tell them. Karou had been so happy at the onset of this trip, it pained him to think of her upset over bad directions and 'roughing it'.
"And it's getting dark..." Karou added waking up behind the two men. Her favorite butter yellow kimono rippling in the evening breeze as she voiced what Sano was thinking as he gazed upwards. Kenshin sighed as he brushed his wild bangs out of his eyes where they had been tossed by a playful wind.
"That's a true statement Karou-Dono, that it is. It seems we may be camping hear tonight indeed it does."
Kenshin looked back over his shoulder and smiled at his companions , his lavender eyes seeming to glow in the dyeing light.
"Awwwww...Man!" Yahiko wined from the back of the party not at all shy about voicing his opinion on the current state of things . "And I was hoping to be sleeping in a nice Inn tonight. Instead it looks like another dirt bed! Who's great idea was it to come to China again?" Yahiko scratched the back of his head with one hand and looked
around with a board expression intended to annoy his teacher…and it worked..
Karou fumed, her blue eyes narrowing in anger at Yahiko as he made a show of cleaning one ear with a finger. Karou grabbed Yahiko by the collar of his shirt and lifted the kid to his tip-toes so their faces were on even level. "NOW YOU LISTEN HERE YAHIKO!" She shouted at the young boy anger veins popping out on her temples.
" I won this trip absolutely FREE!" Little stars and flowers appeared around Karou's head as she sported a dreamy look and happy tone "A free trip to the scenic Chinese countryside..." Karou snapped out of the dream world and gave Yahiko another good shake remembering that her 'dream trip' wasn't going as planed..
" I didn't HAVE to take you along you know!" she hissed voice rising with each word until the cute young woman was nearly screaming. " I JUST DECIDED TO BE GENOROIUS!" She waved one hand for emphasis and then hauled the spiky haired boy up by the folds of his gi again. " SO STOP BEING SUCH AN LITTLE BRAT!….
It's not like you EARNED this or anything." Karou pointed out driving home the fact that Yahiko was only tagging along because she took pity on him having to stay home alone, well that and she didn't entirely trust the little devil alone in her family ancestral dojo for a week.
Yahiko was a good kid at heart but, he was still just a kid. Yahiko glared at Karou inwardly smirking as things became less boring in his opinion. "WHO WOULD WANT' TA THANK SUCH AN UGLY OLD HAG LIKE YOU?" Yahiko put on his best sneer, knowing that the comment would get a reaction out of his teacher. Karou's eyes narrowed even farther as her face turned an unhealthy shade of red. The air began crackling around the two combatants as impending doom descended.
Kenshin rushed in and quickly separated the two, waving his hands back and fort internally sighing with the long suffering air of someone resigned to his fate. " Ma ma, you two! Lets just set up camp and settle down for dinner."
With a big (forced )grin on his face Kenshin gently removed Karou's fingers from Yahiko's top and with his other arm moved Yahiko a few feet away with the boy glowering and taunting the whole time. ( It's going to be a LOOOOOOONNGGG night) He thought shaking his head ruefully.
The mention of food however, worked wonders on everyone and Kenshin almost laughed as all three of his companions visibly perked up. Karou smiled at Kenshin determined to ignore her student for the moment.
Besides she was spending time with Kenshin and that was all that relay mattered even if the other two happened to be tagging along.
"That's a great idea Kenshin, I'll go start dinner while you guys set up camp!" All three of the males collectively sweat-dropped, with panicked looks crossing their faces. Sano acted like he was choking complete with sound effects. It was bad enough that he was stuck out here in the middle of nowhere, for yet ANOTHER night after wandering around all day in the & summer heat! There was NO way that he was going to sit down and ing eat
Karou's cooking on top of all that! NO ING WAY! Sano loved Jo-Chan dearly, like a sister infact but her cooking was damn near toxic!
"Er...Karou...maybe you should let Kenshin do the cooking tonight!...Um I mean you must be tired after walking around all day...Heh heh heh" Sanoske blurted the words out in a desperate rush putting one hand behind his head nervously while trying d to look as sincere as possible hoping Karou would buy it. Karou gave the bigger man a deceptively sweet smile, giving the mooch the benefit of the doubt for the moment. "That's very sweet of you Sano, worrying about me!"
She patted him on the shoulder "But it's no problem really I want to cook!" Sano twitched. Yahiko folded his arms across his chest indignantly and Kenshin knew there was going to be trouble. "Well there's NO WAY I am going to EAT anything YOU cook BUSU!" Yahiko smirked " I want to LIVE to see that SENIC Chinese resort!" Yahiko laughed at his own joke loudly, only to be cut of suddenly by Karou's fist pounding a dent into the top of his skull. glaring back and forth between the two men Karou growled.
"So THATS what you really think is it! Well then you can just starve!...At lest KENSHIN likes my cooking, don't you Kenshin?" Karou looked expectantly at the short redhead who fervently wished he was doing ANYTHING else but standing right there at the moment. "Erm...You have gotten allot better with your cooking Karou-Dono.
That you have. But perhaps Sessha SHOULD cook dinner just this once...Sessha... OROOOOOOO!"
Kenshin stopped suddenly as Karou's pack was forcibly planted into his face with incredible speed. It wasn't that the blow came as a shock to the Ex-Manslayer, Kenshin saw the blow coming almost before her arm fully tensed to lift the pack. He felt all of his muscles tense in reaction to the attack, the killer instinct spike his adrenaline pressuring him to act. He forcibly pushed the instinctual reaction to retaliate that the many years as the
Battousai had made second nature to him. He used all his self-control to do... NOTHING. Turning his head slightly to avoid a possible broken nose Kenshin allowed the bag to hit him square on. Thus sending him flying through the air and over the ledge into the valley bellow.
His last coherent thought was that Karou had hit him allot harder that he though she could!
"OH MY GOSH KENSHIN!"
Karou screamed in panic as she watched Kenshin's form disappear, falling into the valley bellow. Running to the ledge she bent down to the ground heedless of the dirt grinding into her Kimono and searched for any sign of her
beloved Ruroni.
Yahiko started down the side of the ridge followed closely behind by Sano and Karou. They made good time to the bottom avoiding the many rocks half hidden on the steep winding path. The three of them skidded to a stop at the bottom reaching the edge of the valley.
They glanced around franticly scanning for Kenshin's form. "I don't see him!" Karou said with an edge of panic creeping into her voice. ( What If I really hurt him what if he was k..ki...) No she mustn't think like that shaking her head wildly Karou looked franticly around the valley running recklessly from one spring to another..
"Karou! Watch where you're going!" Sanoske shouted after he fleeing form. Looking around the valley Sano's eyes widened as he remembered something he heard about a valley like this in China...he thinks it was called...Jusekyo...
And if this WAS Jusekyo than that would mean !...
" KAROU IT be careful! Don't get any of the water from the springs on you!" Sanoske ran after her doing his best to avoid the many springs that dotted the valley. Karou wasn't listening to Sano, she looked around with growing despair.. She couldn't find him ANYWERE! Just as she was about to give up hope she spotted a form floating face first in one of the smaller springs.. .red hair floating around his still form, gently swaying on the water's now almost still surface.
"KKKKEEEEENNNNNSSSSSSSSHIIIIIINNNNNNNNNN!"
She screamed in total fear. "Oh my gosh! Kenshin... is he OK?" Yahiko slid to a stop facing the spring and prepared to jump in. Karou rolled up her sleeves and prepared to do likewise. Both were jerked to a sudden stop as Sano snagged the backs of their clothing. "What'cha DOING Sano! What the HELL are you DOING?
We have to get in there and help Kenshin...he's drowning moron!" Yahiko swung in a circle tiring to punch Sano ..
Karou cried and tugged fruitlessly at Sano's iron grip. Not having time to explain, and knowing that he didn't have much time. Sanoske tossed the two of them behind him as gently as possible. He reached over to a spring and grabbed a bamboo pole that strutted out from the center of the water.
The pole easily snapped in two and Sano sprinted back to the spring where Kenshin floated on the surface. Seeing that Karou and Yahiko were once again on their feet and headed back to the spring, he knocked them down with the pole...again as gently as he could. Although he was afraid that he may have left some bruises that time. Well bruises would be a of allot better than what would happen if they jumped in that water!
Leaning over the water Sanoske stretched out the pole and caught the edge of Kenshin's Gi top. (Come on COME ON!) Sano thought sweat running down his face as he pulled Kenshin's limp form closer...closer...THERE!
Sano breathed a sigh of relief as Kenshin was dragged up on the dry bank. Dropping the pole Sano grabbed Kenshin by the shoulders and pulled him out unto an open ground. "Ken-ken-Kenshin...Is..he..de..idea..dead?" Karou sobbed while Yahiko looked on silently.
"Not yet he isn't...no..NO DAMIT YOU WILL NOT DIE ON ME!" Sano screamed in anger and balled his hand into a fist, striking it on the center of Kenshin's chest. " I. WONT. LET. YOU. DIE. ON. ME" Sano punctuated each word with another blow to Kenshin's chest. Each time his hand hit the center of the chest, Kenshin's body jumped slightly. (This isn't working! It isn't working) Sano's heart seamed to freeze as he could feel hope slipping away.
Then on the last hit….
Kenshin gasped and rolled to his side coughing up what seamed like an impossible amount of water. For a moment he just lay on his side gasping, and then slowly pulled his hands under him to prop himself up in an sitting position.
"KENSHIN" Karou gasped as she flung herself into Kenshin's arms.
" I am SO glad your OK" With a sob she hugged the redhead as tight as she could electing a surprised "Oroooo" From Kenshin who was still a bit out of it.
"Well at lest this think turned out OK," Sano said smiling. "Now lets get out of hear before something else happens.
I hear that these springs are cursed and anyone who touches them gets cursed"
"Not with the curses again!" Yahiko complained dryly. " IT'LL SUCK YOUR SOUL!" Yahiko screamed in his best Sano impression.
This of coarse got a Death glare from Sano and a hair tussling for Yahiko.
"Sessha agrees we should get out of here" Kenshin managed as soon as his breath returned. "I need to get in dry clothes that I do." Kenshin slowly stood up. And the Kenshin Gumi left the Cursed Valley of Jusekyo leaving the event to fade in memory...except for the one lone and unnoticed observer. The Jusekyo Guide walked down the hill to the spring that Kenshin so recently nearly drown in.
Standing at the edge he pulled out a small book. Opening it up, a map was revealed showing all 100 springs and their curses. Next to a small blank one he wrote in the words. " Spring of Almost-Drowned Rurouni".
And so the 98th cursed spring received its curse.
