This is a slight crossover fic between Princess Mononoke and Rouroni Kenshin. Alas, I own neither.

I hope some of you like this, it's been collecting dust on my harddrive for a while, I went in one night at 3am and tackled it repeatedly until it was unconcious and hog tied to a chair. This is what I got as a result. It's a little weird and the forest spirits from Mononoke are not really named Adagio I just liked that name for some reason.

after all it was 3 in the morning and I did not have tea that day.

Enjoy let me know what you all think, flames included I suppose. I'm trying to be open minded today. )


The suns rays were barely touching the top of the four story estate when Kaoru Kamiya sprang off of the east wing's chimney lip and landed with a trained feline grace upon the grassy earth below. She moved with incredible speed up and over the northern wall of the property as she made her way towards the forest's edge.

Her pale, sharply curved face broke into a grin as three war-horse sized wolves came into her line of sight, all lounging at the rim of shady trees, waiting for her.

"morning Kaoru!" the one on the left barked happily, seemingly in a nevereding good mood. He stretched happily as he stood snaking hisruffledhead back and forth in excitement at her arrival.

' My family' she thought briefly to herself smiling.

"Good morning Haru, Suzume, Ayumi" She addressed each one in order starting with Haru, the one who had greeted her and onto the two beside him. The two silent ones smiled flashing her a bit of fang in a playful gesture. She grinned back suddenly filled with a delightful giddiness.

"Have Misao and Yahiko arrived yet?."

Settling herself, she placed her bag upon the ground beside her, letting her hand rest on the lip of it comfortably. Kaoru hadn't packed a lot this morning knowing the group of them would be traveling fast and light like always, but she had brought just the amount she had been taught to survive on by her master whenever she patrolled the forest. second home.

"Oi busu I'm already here! and Misao is probably still asleep!"

A young boy of 15 came striding into the light from the forest's depths. He had spiky brown hair and bright honey eyes. He carried a plain canvas bag on one shoulder and a naked blade was clenched in his right hand. A bow was slung onto his opposite shoulder and his quiver was under his arm. Despite his ruffled and innocent appearance, the boy had seen enough death to satisfy two afterlives. He was a skilled killer as well, but being a half-god offspring did that to some, Kaoru supposed. Despite his past though, he grinned childishly at Kaoru as she wrapped him in a one armed hug. Brother.

"How's the morning?" Kaoru questioned as he settled beside Haru's haunches.

"It's not bad considering the threat we've been under. It's damn irritating Kaoru, I've been patrolling with the triplets here for three days now, Enishi's men have been slowly aiming for the northern most ridges as far as I can see. I found another two acres burned and chopped away last night."

Kaoru growled low in her chest at his report. A flash of fangs could be seen.

Yahiko shrugged it off.

"He's really pushing it Kaoru. Lord Akoto is not happy. The boars are moving for an attack. I've been playing the peacemaker saying I could arrange a meeting with mother and Akoto I'm glad they have agreed, but it's fragile at best." Yahiko frowned and Kaoru snarled outright, her eyes flickering to the morning sun.

"That is not acceptable he will not touch master's forest, My forest!" Kaoru yelled and made to secure her blade at her waist, which was hanging snug and familiar against her right hip. Wrapping her concealment cloak around her wiry, muscled shoulders she nodded to the three wolf pups.

"We should move now. There is too much to discuss out here in the open and we have that mission from father to carry out today. Are they coming this afternoon?" She asked turning to Suzume.

Suzume with the deep sea green eyes spoke so they could all hear.

"Mother spotted them easily at dawn on her own patrol, they will be here a little after midday we are guessing, unless they stop, but there are not a lot of them, just a few in the group. Horse tamers for sure by the looks of them." She said with a nod of her large head.

Kaoru nodded in return and picked up her bag, while reminiscing her three siblings. The wolf pups were not full grown like their mother, but were still gigantic in their appearance. Standing each at 6 feet high and a little over nine feet long, they were faster, stronger and deadlier than any war horses bred in the country and those surrounding. They had a silver/grey fur that shone blue in the light, Kaoru knew that when they became adults their coats would be a fine snow white, just like their mother Mononoke's was. Kaoru smiled at her thoughts before securing her mind and turning to Yahiko.

"Yeah what about them?" he began "Why did father and mother agree to have them come here and help us? We can handle the crazy idiot on our own you know, we've done it before!" Yahiko pouted indignantly.

Kaoru could only shrug at his questioning and frown at his anger.

"I think that the group knows Enishi or something, maybe they're enemies? Either way master asked for them and father did as well in agreement with her. I trust their judgement and will carry out the orders we were given to bring the group back to the estate." She nodded in finality. There would be no more speaking about it.

Turning towards the forest a comforting breeze touched her face and Kaoru smiled at the familiar sight. Moving swiftly to sit bareback on Haru like a horse rider she hopped up easily and rubbed Haru's head between his ears. She got a rumbling purr in response. Shouldering her bag and checking her blades, all 16 of them hidden in her leggings and her blue linen tunic Kaoru scented the air coming from the forest entrance.

Feeling the tension of the morning begin to creep into the air Kaoru turned and looked at them all.

'Shall we get Misao then?"


The journey west had been a down right pain in the ass from the beginning and Kenshin knew it better than any of them in the group. The message rider who had come some two weeks before hand had given Kenshin and his master Hiko a personal message from a lord ruling in the west. A man by the name of Kamiya. Hiko had instantly accepted the job not even reading the message written to them. Kenshin had just shrugged guessing that his Master obviously knew the Kamiya character and wisely had kept quiet.

After the decision had been made for the group (a feat Kenshin knew he'd pay for personally later) it had been time to break camp and get the group back together for the trip. The horses had been grazed and rested in the makeshift corrals and the weapons were stored for the traveling they would be doing in the weeks to come. Not knowing where exactly they were going Kenshin had told the group just that. They're anger hadn't been stemmed at him directly, but he still felt guilty about having to drag them into this without even letting them decide, or giving them the exact details of the job they were to carry out.

'Oh well' he reasoned with himself 'its just another job, another paycheck in our pockets, just like everything else before.'

Sano Kenshin's best friend had been grumpy the entire trip. Going out of his way to taunt their young friend Megumi for two weeks straight now. Kenshin finally sighed into the neck of his stallion as their bickering found it's way past his meditative shields. He couldn't even fathom how Aoshi dealt with it all having to ride beside the pair..

Hiko turned a critical eye upon his pupil.

"I suppose I can tell you all where we're going if you'll just shut up." He began and all attention snapped to him.

The entire group had been at his loyalty for years and for as long as they had all been together, he always knew how to snag them.

"The man we're serving this job under is Keswick Kamiya. He is a spirit-guide and he is and has always been a service to the God Mononoke. Her name in their tongue is Mononoke at least. It means the princess of the gods, beasts, and ghouls. I've known Kamiya since my days back in the army when I was an aspiring murderer." He grumped still looking ahead, his long black hair falling casually over his shoulder.

They all twitched slightly at his words, but being around him for so long allowed them to not care enough and to allow him to continue.

"We've been friends for decades. He even taught me a few sword techniques, some of my deadliest are from him." He gave a rueful smile.

Kenshin was shocked to say the least. The most skilled killer on the continent had been taught by someone else?

"Sir Hiko why is it necessary that we go see him though, I mean it's probably nice to see an old friend, but you made us leave without hesitation and Sir Ken said you didn't even read the dispatch message given to the two of you What is the job he has for us?" Megumi, a tall black haired woman with an elegant stance and a sly personality asked curiously. Megumi wasn't a killer like the others, no completely the opposite in fact. She was a healer, the best of the best. Having being possessed by a tree spirit for years did that to some and the group all knew Hiko respected her more than the others, so her questioning was bound to not go unanswered.

"There is trouble to the northern borders of the Mukuro Forest. The one dwelling of all that is peace is being threatened. Only for this reason would my friend call upon me." Hiko said quietly.

They all practically fainted right there. The Mukuro Forest was the most sacred and possessed dangerous place on the earth. Gods and spirits were said to rule there and war was said to be banned in that region. It was the last sanctuary to the afterlife and all that was magical within the world.

"Kamiya is the protector of the Mukuro Forest!" Sano gaped in awe. "The mans gotta be a god himself then!"

"Some have said that of him before. For all its worth, that damn daughter of his has got to be." Hiko mused with a ghostly grin and looked over at Kenshin who was staring ahead down the path. It was just reaching dusk and he was probably looking for a place to stop for the night. Hiko just nodded to him, and turned his head slightly to the left.

"Saitou, Tokio scout ahead would you? Find a place for the night."

With that two figures appeared in the darkness at Hiko's left. A tall dark man with hazel eyes that were more like a coppery brown nodded once, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He rode a dapple mare who had a fiery charge and a perfected silent step. The woman beside him was equally just as dark, but possessed an elegance and regality that could be considered eastern royalty. She had a smile upon her face and her long dark hair was wrapped up at the back of her head. Sitting upon a deep chestnut stud she was quite the opposite of the smoker beside her. Her husband.

Kenshin nodded to the couple before they silently padded into the dark ahead. Those two were a pair of wolves if he ever saw one.

"So Lord Kamiya has a daughter?" He asked, trying to bait his master into a conversation that would interest him. Hiko watched him a moment probably gauging if he could hit him from where they sat upon horseback but chose to speak instead.

"Yes, a wiry little thing she is, though I haven't seen her in about ten years. Last I did see of her she was out riding around on those damn wolf pups and stalking boars in the woods with Mononoke herself. She's always been a mother to the girl. Kamiya's wife was a spy in the army with us, a damn good one too, she died during the birth." He said solemnly.

"They really are that talented? You never speak of anyone so highly master." Kenshin grinned at him

"They were better than any man or woman I have ever met and I owe them my life from more than one occasion and vice versa. That daughter of his, her name is Kaoru. She was blessed by the forest spirit upon her birth. The council I sat at for centuries decided on the Kamiya girl. She was the pact that kept the alliance between man and god together in that time period when she was born. She has to be around 23 years of age now." Hiko said more to himself than anything and went quiet and said no more.

Kenshin mused in his own mind. A daughter that was the binding between an alliance thousands of years at the breaking point? Come to think of it for the last 20 years or so he had noticed a decline in magic and spiritual channeling throughout the lands he had traveled. Maybe it was true. After all to get a man like Hiko to speak with an admiration bordering on affection for someone...Kenshin grinned inwardly.

Whoever this Kaoru was, she was an apple in Hiko's eye.


They stopped to rest soon after the conversation that brought the group to the same page as their leader. Kenshin and Hiko stepped away from the fire to go over their katas of the night. Hiko instructed quietly as was normal and Kenshin moved with lightening fluidity through his movements he had been taught since he was eight. When they finally did stop for the night Kenshin felt refreshed and ready to take on anything. Hiko brooded over his alcohol intake.

The next morning the group had packed and left the site at sunrise. Kenshin and Hiko in the forefront as was expected followed by Megumi, Sano, Aoshi, Saitou, and Tokio. The sun had barely kissed the tops of the trees near the ridge they were about the turn when Megumi gasped and almost shrieked. Almost in that Hiko had spun around in the saddle to clamp a large long fingered hand down over her mouth.

"They are forest spirits Megumi. Adagio they're called. The life and death of the trees. They will not harm us." He whispered in her ear.

The rest of the group all turned to see where they were looking and stiffened in shock and awe. A little boy sized ghost was sitting upon a rock. It had no visible eyes and had a pale opalescent white color to it. Suddenly it's head turned up and two piercing empty sockets looked at them freezing the very blood in their veins for a split second before is snapped it's head to the side and back in a quick ticking motion. A cracking sound could be heard and they all moved with singularity backward a few paces from it. Hiko cursed to himself and dismounted. Walking up to the little sprite he bowed respectfully to it.

"Little Adagio of the mother, would you be so kind as to grant us passage through your forest? We have business in the west with the councilman and Lord Kamiya" He said in perfect politeness and in the genuine tongue of the gods, shocking the little group even further. The little thing recoiled as if shy suddenly and nodded, a small grin appearing on it's strange, peaceful face. Like a child.

Hiko nodded to it and it disappeared into thin air. Megumi visibly relaxed. Straightening he looked down the pathway they were on and then up the cliff face they were currently rounding. Something flashed out of his sight too fast for him to see what it was, but he knew and he grinned wickedly knowing she had seen him speaking with her subject. Turning he walked to his horse assessing his group's Ki auras as he passed them. Most of them were just in shock as he expected them to be. But he couldn't coddle them and he didn't intend to. The forest of Mononoke was a tricky and dangerous place. There were things no one could even dream up and live through in there. It was truly what nature was intended to be without man.

"The Adagio mean good luck, it's a sign the forest is healthy. We can continue without problems. If you respect them they will in turn respect you and no harm will befall you. I have a feeling we'll be escorted by something this day anyway so theres no need to be frightened. If you can't handle it now you will never be able to and trust me there are worse things in this forest than a little tree spirit popping up to say hello." he spoke quietly without addressing the group directly and mounted his horse with ease despite his mountainous size.

He grinned inwardly as the ridge's end came closer and silently held his breath, waiting for his groups reaction to the sight they would see in exactly thirty seconds. Just as he expected a collected amounts of gasps even from the cold Aoshi could be heard as the rim of the grand forest came into view. They stood upon the cliff's edge overlooking the vast valley of a numerous assortment of trees and all types of life. Flocks of birds by the thousands rose and spread as a rainbow blanket of silken feathers and taloned beaks all around as the forest came to life in the morning sunlight. Hiko personally loved this view and allowed his group to memorize it as he had the first time he saw the majesty of the Mukuro Forest border.

"The Mukuro forest goes on for exactly 600 miles to the North the South and the West. The Kamiya estate was set up at the direct border of the west. I have never been there so I assume a guide will be sent to us sometime today. Until then we will travel closely together and keep all senses open and alert. No matter if the trees give us passage here, there are worse things that may not." He spoke with authority and headed down a winding ledge that would take him to the base of the cliffs and into the forest's cavernous floor.

The group followed with a shaken expression in all of their eyes. The sight had rocked them to the core and it would only get worse. But Hiko had no fear of it, he knew they would do well, he had made sure of it when he began to bring in all these strays after the wars some 20 odd years ago. After he left the west. After he left her.


The group entered the forest with easy acquisition and took a break near a small crystal clear stream to recoup from such a sight as what they had encountered. Hiko explained a few more things to them about the forest's life spirit and the gods that were the care takers of it. He gave them a brief history of loyalty and the stations of all the head gods and spirits under Mononoke. He wanted them alert and be able to freshen their skills that had been near dormant now for some odd months. He wanted them perfect for when they met the Kamiya clan and as an extra precaution he warned them of Kaoru's temper and her ability to control the forest around her to her advantage, or at least what her abilities were when he knew her.

"She will be triple the amount of strength and if my guess is anything she'll be cunning and a master of illusion with a talent for killing. The Kamiya clan has led a hard existence here and Kaoru and her father are the best of the best." Hiko grunted when they all nodded in response. Yes Kaoru Kamiya was not to be taken lightly and she was to be respected as a god.

"after all" he said as he mounted his horse "She is the heir to the forest'spower itself. Once Mononoke deems her ready."