A/N: Special thanks to Artemis Goddess of the Earth, Gypsy-chan, Willow- chan for allowing me to use their names and also Willow-chan I've used "Deneb" and Cepheus as names of places, I hope you don't mind this either I'll be using other names of reviewers and some of those you suggested as dragon names as characters or places. If any of you guys would disapprove of this, please just write it down on your reviews, or just e- mail me at Again, thank you all sooooo much!
...uhhhh, to goddess artemis and miss gypsy-chan, I hope you don't mind sharing a character, but please don't worry, you will be having different roles here
A/N: YEY! I finally finished this chapter! mostly chit-chats though but its necessary.anyway, I hope the next chapter will be better Again, I won't tire of thanking each and everyone of you for your reviews. THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH! Oh and before I forget, I'd like you guys to check out this site by miss anna-neko and register in the forum...it's a really cool forum and gives us more opportunity to chat/joke around. you will find my nickname there as the same 'me10sai' hope to see you there...and Shiari is already registered there by the same nick too
Willow-chan: heehee.here's the update! and please if you do have some time to spare, register at forums so we could talk about other stuff too and more often than this 'every-chapter' conversationLOL! Thanks so much for your reviews!
Vesca: LOLOLOL good idea about the little dragon! we'll see about that ok...but if you do end up as a dragon, you'll probably end up a huge one...well I'm not making any promises but if you do I'll make you a huge, but very cute dragon okie! thak you so much for your review!
angelsExist: hehehehe...i'll keep updating as long as you promise not to choke me again... thak you for your reviews
Gypsy-chan: LOL I share your cravings for junk foods...but gomen, the dragon rests in this chapter so does the action...still I hope you like it! thanks so much for your reviews...i hope you register too in miss anna-neko's forum!
ArtemisMoon: Ah...LOLOLOL the goddess and her pet turtle...cute ne! anyway, I have a surprise for Kajun in this chapie, hehehe I think you might wanna read onAwigwatoooo
Sabrina-Star: Thanks for your reviews! and I think I owe the idea of using rewiewers' names to ArtemisMoon...she suggested it anyway, please stay tuned okie!
Kamimura-Kaoru: LOLOLOL hello! thank you for your reviews please read on ok
Scarlet Maple: heehee...you gotta keep on reading if you wanna know what happens to Dargove thank you very much for your reviews
tenshineko: teehee...i guess Sano's appearance is needed to give a little more comic scenes anyway, some answers are in this chapter, but I think the next will hold more...so please stay tuned okThank you for your reviews
Kajun Spice: harharharhar...you name appears in this chapter so...BEWARE lolololol(I have read the story of toadie froggie)! heehee, don't worry it's not that grosss anyway, I see you like Sano...hmmmmmm, maybe I'd just dump Megumi then and...heehee let's see evil grinLOLOLOL...just kiddin'! anyway, thank you so much for your reviews
Genesis: others will appear, don't worry, though probably not all of them. anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, though it doesn't have much action in it, it does hold some explanations thanks so much for your reviews
tearlesereph: ahhhh gomen, this chapie is still 95 kenshin-free but I think the next one will have more of him anyway, heehee, please read on and you'll see some of your idea that brushed on to me thank you so much for that and for your reviews
omichi: hehehe...you're right, I'd hate to be related to that twisted fiend, but then it makes the story more interesting LOLOLOL! Thank you very much for your reviews and please do try to register at forum
Shiari: gomen, gomen...bows low still I can't promise you that I would not be doing that again...anyway, that's why I NEED you to keep reviewing this fic 'coz I need your C.C. thank you soooo much for that and for your reviews.
konton: well I'm getting near that part where there Dargove-Kenshin thingies, but not in this chapie ok...hopefully the next one so please just keep on reading ok thank you very much for you reviews
selene: LOLOLOL here you go, the next chapie! I'm glad you like it anyway, heeheeblush sorry I don't know that many Japanese words so if you could please translate for meblush..blush thank you sooo much and thank you for your reviews too!
Michy: hello! I'm glad you read the whole story, but don't worry about the late review...I'm just glad you're here now thank you for dropping by and I hope you like this chapter though it doesn't contain much kenshin in it...the next one hopefully will
Conquest Rion: I know you're still in chapter 2 but if you ever reach this far, I want to thank you very much for your review nyway, do you know yuki-chan personally?...LOLOLOL she's a great girl
WHEW...that was pretty long but finally, here's chapter 11 guys(c",)
KENSHIN the DRAGON HUNTER Chapter XI: Rose
"Minnie's a sweet kitty! She's our best friend! She's very gentle!" Sano was repeating to himself with a poor and high-pitched imitation of Ayame and Suzume's voice as he climbed the tree where they found the cat leisurely licking his paw. "She's more like a barbaric feline!" Sano said, still feeling the sting on his cheek where the cat scratched him from his first attempt to grab it.
"Darned cat!" Sano shouted. "Geeez, you remind me of someone...nah, I think Megumi's more barbaric than you." He muttered under his breath as he slowly inched his way closer to Minnie.
Kaoru and Yahiko watched below, their giggles could be heard from even the highest tree in the forest. They bit their tongues to keep from laughing out loud since their new friend was trying so hard, even refusing Kaoru's offer to talk the cat to come down.
"I'll get her myself!" he had said confidently with a smirk, trying to be cool and composed as he climbed the tree.
After a lot more scratching and mumbling and tree-shaking, Sano finally came down looking victorious with the small cat in his hand.
The two 'brothers' cheered and Kaoru went and took the cat from Sano's hands before another fight would ensue. Sano, smiling widely told the two boys to follow him and he'll give them shelter and food for the night.
"The village of Deneb is not far from here," Sano said leading the way. Kaoru and Yahiko followed him back to the village. They did not tell Sano that his hair was a mess, with all the leaves and things on it, his face too was pretty deformed and all in all, he looked well, hilarious... but he was so proud of catching the cat that they did not have the heart spoil his fun. This did not stop them from giggling behind his back, though.
"Go back," a voice said. "Go back to where you first met him."
"Met who?" Kenshin asked the mysterious voice. "Show yourself!" he said, but the voice faded away leaving him with one last word... "Dargove..."
Kenshin woke up with a start. He found himself lying on the grass under a tree. Above him, he could see the pale moon and the first few stars through spots not covered with leaves or branches. He blinked then placed the back of his hand on his forehead. "That dream again" he thought. He's been having the same dream for three days now.
"Cepheus" Kenshin whispered. "It's only two days ride from here..."
"So you have finally returned to Deneb" Gensai, the village chief said to the old woman sitting in front of him. "Sixteen years...it seemed like it was just yesterday when you took the memory of the everyone here, except mine and the past two village chiefs."
"Please forgive me Gensai, I had to make them forget what they saw, else you and even 'she' would be in mortal danger." Gypsy-chan said softly. "And, Kaoru...will be returning here tonight."
Gensai's head jerked up. "You mean it? Then I will be able to see her again! Oh I only wish Lardo and Bulthian are still alive so they could see her again. Especially Lardo because it was he who gave up our little Kaoru to the dragon..." Gensai's happy chatter faded when he saw the look on Gypsy-chan's face.
"What...is it?" he asked weakly. "She has come back not to stay, but to fulfill the destiny set for her."
Gensai shook his head, "She's been through enough..."
"I know," Gypsy-chan said, "but without her help, this world will slowly die, along with all of people living on it."
The village chief remained silent for a few moments before he said, "How can I help?"
"Take her to the house, tell her the truth and then show her the way to go."
Megumi, after putting the two kids to bed went back to her uncle Gensai's house. She stood outside the room heard some of the conversation. "Who could 'she' be?" she whispered to herself.
"You perhaps" an unfortunately familiar voice whispered mockingly behind her.
Megumi clenched her fist and delivered a resounding punch at Sanosuke's head, knocking him down. "Don't EVER sneak behind me like that you brainless, good-for-nothing..." Megumi's insult was cut off when she saw two young men looking at the unconscious Sanosuke smiling, and one of them was holding a sleeping cat, "And he looked really cute!" Megumi thought.
"I'm sorry" Megumi said. "My name is Megumi and this is my uncle's house. Are you by any chance Sano's friends?" Megumi said sounding a bit embarrassed and apologetic.
"My name is Kao and this is my younger brother Yahiko. We met Sanosuke along the way and he offered us lodging for tonight. It's nice to meet you Megumi" Kaoru said still smiling.
"Thank you for bringing back Minnie" Megumi said, blushing as she took the cat from the handsome young man.
"Nah, Sano did all of the job, we just accompanied him" Yahiko said.
"Uh, are you by any chance Sano's cousin?" Yahiko asked and Megumi glared at him. "That useless heap down there" Megumi said pointing her finger at Sano, "is in no way related to me!"
"Thank heavens for that..." Sano managed to say before he received another blow, this time from Megumi's foot.
"I'm sorry," she said. "My uncle found him when he was young and raised him as his own. We don't know who his parents were or where he came from." Megumi made sure Sano was unconscious, but still her voice turned to a whisper as she said those words.
Kaoru smiled thinking "That was very considerate of her! I guess she likes him more than she wants to let on." But Kaoru's smile faded when she saw who emerged from the inner room accompanied by an old man.
"H...how did you get here?" Kaoru asked the old seer, not quite believing her own eyes. They have traveled this fast because of Dargove and Willow, yet still, she came here before them! "I have my own ways of transport, but that is not important now. What is important is that you are here...Kaoru!"
Yahiko blinked in disbelief. "Who are you" he asked the old lady, "and how did you know Kaoru's name?"
"I am Gypsy, and my visions told me of you."
Yahiko sweatdropped. "Geeez lady, I asked WHO you are and not WHAT you are! I know you're a gypsy judging by your clothes... OOOWWWW!" Yahiko fell on the floor beside Sano. For an old lady, Gypsy-chan's got a mean right hook!
"Please forgive my ignorant brother," Kaoru said, bowing low.
"That's quite alright" the village chief managed to say, trying to control his emotions. "I am Gensai, the chief of this humble village. Please, let me escort you two travelers to your accommodations for the night. And MISS Kaoru, you do not have to hide your identity. You are quite safe in this village."
The four younger people in the room froze. Sano got up so quickly and began to examine closely Kaoru's flat chest.
Kaoru, red in the face gave Sano a punch... one he would not be forgetting soon in the near future! "Women," Sano said, his eyes swirling ... "they are scary...!"
"I bet you saw that Kaoru's a girl in your visions too, right Gypsy- chan?" Yahiko asked and the old lady nodded.
"Now let's go" she said and motioned Gensai to lead the way.
Megumi laughed as fox-ears popped out of her head. She flipped her hair and proudly paraded those good-sized lumps on her chest as she passed by Kaoru. "A penalty for making me think you were a boy" Megumi thought smiling slyly.
Kaoru gritted her teeth as she pulled Yahiko's collar and followed them.
Sano, not wanting to miss anything stood up slowly and joined the group too.
As they stepped out of the house, Kaoru suddenly picked up a strong scent of roses. "Funny" she thought, "this wasn't here before…"
"What is it?" Sano asked her when she started looking around.
"No, it's nothing" Kaoru said and kept walking. But the scent grew stronger with every step she took.
"Here we are" Gensai said, to Megumi's and Sano's surprise. It was the empty house every villager was forbidden to even touch!
Kaoru felt her heart beating wildly in her chest as she looked up to see the small house before her. She saw a hazy form of a woman with long dark hair carrying a small child in her arms. "What...what happened here?" Kaoru asked as the vision disappeared. "Who was that woman with long, dark hair?"
Yahiko, hearing this became really worried now. "Alright that's it Kaoru, let's get out of here! First you smell imaginary roses, now you're seeing imaginary women, It's not like you at all!"
"Don't worry Yahiko," Kaoru said softly, taking the younger man's hand, "I know this place, I've been here before."
"Yes you have" Gensai said opening the door and gesturing everyone to enter. Strangely enough, as soon as all of them entered the house, the scent of roses filled the air.
Gensai smiled, "So her scent remains" he said fondly.
Kaoru went over to the bed and looked at it. She saw the same dark-haired woman. The vision was not so hazy now and Kaoru could see her, so beautiful, but so pale and in very deep pain.
The woman smiled up at Kaoru, despite her ailing and aching body. "I love you" she said and lifted her hand up. Kaoru, tried to reach out to her, but the figure disappeared.
Tears filled Kaoru's eyes and as she let them flow. The village chief went to her and held her until her sobs subsided. Kaoru looked up at the man holding her, she didn't have to speak, the village chief knew what she wanted. "I will tell you what I know..."
"Sixteen years ago, a huge dragon flew over here with a badly wounded young woman and two children, a young boy of five and a little girl of two."
Sano stirred and Gensai looked at him. "Yes, Sanosuke, you were that young boy."
"But how come I don't remember anything?" he asked. "Not only you but the whole village don't seem to know of this incident."
"Sixteen years ago is not that long ago, uncle" Megumi said.
Gensai smiled, "I will come to that part, for now, please be contented to let me tell the story."
Megumi was about to say something but caught Kaoru's pleading eyes. "Please go on uncle," she said instead and Kaoru smiled gratefully at her before she turned to look back at Gensai.
"The woman was very beautiful with long, black hair and she smelled so sweet, like roses. The dragon asked us to care of her and the children. It was a week before the woman was well enough to tell us that the young girl's name was Kaoru and the young boy's name was Sanosuke. She would not reveal her own name, so we called her Rose. Rose told us that her husband died recently, and Kaoru was their daughter. Sano was the child of a dear friend whom she refused to mention too. Her injury was very deep and most of us agreed that she is living out of sheer will, and mostly of all, out of love."
Gensai paused to look at Kaoru. She has to understand that she was not abandoned. She has to know that she was loved by her mother until the very end. Eyes wet, and too overwhelmed to speak, Kaoru nodded, she knows that now.
Gensai smiled before he continued. "Rose died one month after she arrived here." Gensai said, his voice full of pain. "It was at this time that Gypsy- chan arrived to tell us that we must give Kaoru back to the dragon. We refused of course, but she told us that we had no choice. Kaoru is in danger and the only one who could protect her was Dargove. She also told us that for our protection, she must remove the memory of that month from all of the villagers. So everyone forgot about it, except Lardo, Bulthian and me. It has been decided even before Bulthian and I followed in Lardo's footstep as a village chief that we would keep this house sacred, until Kaoru would come back to us."
"It was heartbreaking to have to let her go, but if it was the only way that she would remain safe, then we were willing to do anything. Besides, Gypsy-chan promised us that she would return someday… and now you have." Gensai said, his voice filled with emotion.
Kaoru knelt before the old man and held his hands. "There is something else you're not telling us, about who I am and who Sano is. Please I beg you tell us more." Kaoru said.
Gensai closed his eyes. "I have told you all I know, but there is someone else who could help you..."
"Kajun, the Goddess of Revelations" Kaoru whispered to herself an hour later after Gensai's story of her past. She looked up the stars above. Everything seemed so surreal to her right now. She just found out that her mother died in a horrible, painful way. "My father is dead too" she told herself. "Why?" she asked the stars above, although she knew she would get no answers. "Gensai said the only one who could tell me more about my past is the Goddess of Revelation..."
"You're not planning on sneaking out by yourself are you?" a voice said startling Kaoru. She didn't have to turn around to know whom it belongs to... Gypsy-chan. "Mount Altair is very dangerous" Gypsy-chan continued. "Pirogoeth, the Priestess of Revelations lives there and it is only she who could call out the Goddess."
"I know this may sound crazy, but I feel like I need to know my past in order to find the right path for my future. That is why I have to go to Mt. Altair." Kaoru answered.
Gypsy-chan nodded. "The path that you speak of will be a hard and treacherous one."
"I know" Kaoru said, and to Gypsy-chan's surprise, the young girl smiled sweetly. "Nothing in this world is easy but I guess what you reap out of hard work will taste a lot more sweeter in the end."
The old lady chuckled. "Perhaps this world will survive after all!" she said to herself. "Well-said child, now go and get some rest, you will need your strength tomorrow."
Kaoru smiled again before she turned to leave. She stopped after a couple of paces. "Will I ever see you again Gypsy-chan?" she asked, knowing that the old lady would disappear after she left.
Gypsy- chan grinned as she recalled the same question being asked by a red-haired young man. "Of course" Gypsy-chan answered before she was covered in mist, and vanished into thin air. Kaoru walked on not turning back.
Gypsy-chan has been and still is a mystery to her, but she didn't mind. More importantly, tomorrow would bring her closer to her true identity, and perhaps, her destiny...
...to be continued(c",)