The Faerie Chronicles of Kenshin & Kaoru: The Sleeping Prince, a Rurouni Kenshin fanfic by Raberba girl
Chapter 1 - In which Kenji annoys Hiko to death.
"And all to kill the bonny babe
That we got us between?"
from "The Ballad of Tam Lin"
o.o.o
"There is no need to explain why you have been called here. This one has instructions for all four of you."
The king and queen were alone with their child in the throne room, save for the court physician and the three bodyguards who stood solemnly before them.
The woman who had found medical work more meaningful than the pampered life of a court lady now spoke up. "Ken-Ô, if you mean to enlist my help in breaking the curse on the prince, I'm afraid I cannot help you. My realm is physical medicine, not magic."
Kenshin smiled grimly. "That is understood, Megumi-dono. This one has in mind a different sort of task, that he does."
"And don't tell me we're supposed to track down some evil fairies and beat the heck out of them," Sanosuke grumbled. "'Cause that ain't my thing. Magic gives me the spooks."
"Would you just shut up and listen?" Kaoru snapped. "Kenshin knows more about Faerie than a bird-head like you, quit interrupting so he can tell you the plan!"
"Oh, absolutely, Your Worship! If you think for one second-"
"Sano." Kenshin's voice was sharp, and filled with such command that Sanosuke fell silent at once; he wasn't used to hearing his sovereign sound like this. Kaoru also looked up at her husband in surprise - ever since the visit of the enchantress, his face had hardened and his voice had gone unnaturally deep. She finally recognized it as the way he had sounded years ago, when he still went by the name Battousai.
Kaoru was just opening her mouth to apologize when he said quietly, "Kaoru-dono is upset, for reasons this one should hope you understand, Sano. Please grant her your patience."
Sanosuke's face reddened and he looked away, cursing under his breath.
"Kenshin," Kaoru said softly, pulling at his sleeve. "Kenshin, I'm sorry. Please don't...look like that."
He turned his head to look into her anxious face, and after a moment, his expression relaxed a little. He gave her a brief, comforting little kiss on the temple, then turned back to the others. "Although it was the enchantress who placed such a spell over our son, this one has reason to believe it was not of her own will. The man who pulled her back into Faerie is known to this one, that he is. His name is Enishi - mark it well, Sôjirô."
The young man blinked in surprise, but waited quietly for the king to continue.
"It is possible that this man or others under his orders may return here to harm the prince. Therefore he must be taken away from the castle, to a secret place, where he will be in the care of people who have earned our trust."
"Us?" Yahiko exclaimed, disbelief echoing in his voice.
A faint smile briefly touched Kenshin's lips. "Who else can we trust more?"
"No- I mean, of course, but- You want us to raise a kid?"
"I'm sure it's not that hard," Sôjirô assured him.
"What are you talking about? We'd need to feed him and wash him and, geez, change his diapers and stuff-"
"-and raise him well, with kindness and honor and discipline, that you will," Kenshin added. "And keep him safe, for that is why you are being sent in the first place."
"Wait a minute," Kaoru said urgently. "Just how long is this supposed to last, Kenshin? Just a week or two, right, 'til we can get this settled?"
"There is no telling," he said gently. "It all depends on how long it takes Sôjirô to run his errand, and there are several factors this one cannot predict that might hinder his return."
Everyone looked startled. "You mean Sôjirô's not coming with us to take care of this child?" Megumi said.
"That is correct. His mission will be secret, that it will. Sôjirô, this one will speak with you alone. Kaoru-dono, please ready Kenji for the journey, and give Megumi-dono, Sano, and Yahiko all the instructions and provisions they will need."
"A-All right," Kaoru said, but looked at him hard. 'You're going to tell me what's going on, right?' she willed at him. As if sensing the question, he smiled a little at her, but, in his typical way, did not answer.
o.o.o.o.o
"Aaah, Neesan! I thought your heart was made of ice, what could possibly have caused you to melt?"
Tomoe quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to face her younger brother. "What are you doing in my room, Enishi?"
"Is it a crime for a man to pay his sister a visit?" he teased, with a grin that was meant to be charming.
"No. But I closed the door because I wanted to be alone."
"Yet I walked right through it. Wasn't that a nifty trick, sis? You wanna see what else I can do now that the old man's dead?"
"King Oberon was our father, Enishi," she said softly. "Please speak of him with more respect."
He shrugged carelessly. "Why? It's about time he got out of the way. You gonna begrudge me my new powers?" Itching to show off, he picked up a glass of water on the table, and the liquid instantly froze solid. Then, with a delicate crackling sound, it sprouted an exquisite little flower made entirely of ice.
Tomoe looked at it wordlessly. Somehow, all she could think was that the light from the room's single lamp did not reflect off the surface at all.
"Neesan, are you not impressed?" he asked reproachfully.
Though he put up a teasing front, she could sense the genuine hurt behind his expression. It was too much for her; she leaned over to kiss his forehead. "It's very beautiful, Enishi. Please place it back on my table so that I may look at it."
A smile broke over his face, and he carefully obeyed. Then he straightened up and hugged her. She continued to sit with her hands folded in her lap, showing no sign of either resistance or response.
"I love you so much, Neesan," he whispered into her hair. "Don't ever go away from me again. I'll punish the one who took you away - I'll punish him!"
The sudden tightness of his embrace was hurting her, but she could not speak for fear the sound of tears in her voice would betray her. In a moment, it no longer mattered; he kissed the top of her head and then left without looking at her.
o.o.o.o.o
Fourteen years passed in the mortal realm. Rumors flew for a long time about what had happened to the little prince and where he might now be. Some said he had died as so many newborns did; others said he had been kidnapped by the fae and replaced with a changeling. Still others proudly claimed that this or that child was actually the prince, given into their guardianship.
However, the rumors always remained rumors. The gossiping castle staff always had a different story for where the tiny body might be buried or how such a changeling might have been disposed of, and every claimant to the throne was soon disproved by how easily the red crosses washed off. The king and queen remained close-mouthed about the fate of their son, saying only that he was in a safe place and would one day return to inherit the throne in his father's place. New bodyguards were hired quietly; the old court practitioner continued his healing alone.
The warriors of that country chafed under the Sword-Banning Act, passed soon after the prince's disappearance, but it was enforced swiftly and methodically. Soon, any man seen carrying a metal blade could expect to spend time in prison after their weapons were confiscated, and the use of wooden swords became such a widespread practice that young children came to think of steel swords as legendary.
In time, the queen became pregnant again, this time with a daughter. The celebrations for Princess Ayame's birth were nothing like her brother's, perhaps out of fear of attracting fey attention again. Soon afterwards came her sister Suzume, and while more royal children were all well and good, the people would very much have preferred a male heir to set their minds at ease. By this time, many were sure that their lost prince was never coming back.
As for the prince himself, he was aware of none of this. He grew up in the forest, training in the manner of his heritage, and running his three guardians ragged.
"Oi, Megumi! You seen the kid around?" Sanosuke had returned with fresh meat for their evening meal, and was puzzled at how quiet the cottage was.
She looked up in annoyance from where she was preparing the prince's birthday sweets. "Don't tell me you lost him again."
"I didn't lose him, he was with Yahiko when I left."
Megumi shrugged. "Well, it's been way too quiet out there for some time. I'm busy with this, Sanosuke; go out and make sure Kenji hasn't knocked Yahiko-kun out and run off or something."
Sanosuke chuckled. "Wouldn't surprise me... But, hey! I'm not your errand-boy, vixen!"
"You are if you want even a bite of Kenji's birthday treats."
Torn between dignity and food, Sanosuke finally gave in to the latter, grumbling under his breath as he went out.
There was no trace of either of his housemates in the clearing around the cottage, or even in the woods nearby. Cursing, Sanosuke tramped into the woods in search of the missing pair; it would not do at all to have to report to Kenshin that they'd kept his son safe for fourteen years, and then freaking lost him.
Meanwhile, the young prince was skipping merrily through the forest, attracting adorable woodland animals with the dulcet tones of his voice. "I wonder," he sang, "I wonder, why each little bird has someone- HEY!" Startled by the boy's unexpected outburst, the woodland animals scattered away. "What do you think you're doing?" he shouted at the sky.
"Sorry...bad joke. Back to business."
"Mattaku," Kenji muttered as he continued on, this time minus the singing and skipping. "Give someone a pen and they think they run the world..."
Then he frowned and came to a stop, his attention caught by the smell of smoke. The forest wasn't on fire, was it? Kenji followed the smell until he came to a little clearing, where he was relieved to find that the smoke belonged only to a tidy, contained fire. Stacks of pots leaned against the walls of a cottage even tinier than the one Kenji lived in, and a very interesting-looking man was relaxing there, sipping from a little cup. Kenji gazed at the hulking, cloaked figure for quite awhile before he plucked up his courage and approached.
"Not an animal," the man was muttering. "Got to be human, but a young one...feels unpleasantly familiar, too. Yet it can't be him, he's long gone and much older now, anyway...eh, forget it." The man finally turned around, his rock-hard gaze freezing Kenji in his tracks. "So, my stupid apprentice," the man greeted conversationally. "You've shrunk."
"Apprentice?" Kenji repeated in confusion.
The man frowned. "Who are you?"
"Who are you?" Kenji shot back.
"You're the one invading my home. You introduce yourself first."
Kenji folded his arms importantly. "Kenji. And you are?"
"Annoyed. Go away, kid, I've got work to do." The man rose to his feet and headed for the potter's oven nearby.
"Your name is 'Annoyed'?" Kenji said skeptically.
"If you wish."
"I wish your real name, you old geezer!"
"You've got a worse mouth than your father did," the man grumbled, and Kenji's ears perked up.
"My father? You know him?!"
"Nope." 'Not anymore.'
"Aw, come on!" Kenji bounded over to the man. "You can't say something like that and then clam up!"
The man said nothing, going about his work without a glance at the boy.
"Hey! You can't just ignore me!"
'Yet somehow, I am,' the man thought in amusement.
A stubborn look crossed Kenji's face, and he went over to the stacks of pots by the cottage.
"Get away from there," the man ordered.
"These are really cool," Kenji said slyly, picking up a pot and tossing it up and down.
"Put it down."
"But I really like it!"
The man growled and gave in. "Hiko Seijûrô. I taught your father - or at least, a whiny, red-haired, cross-faced shrimp who looked a lot like you - the art of kenjutsu."
"Kenjutsu?" Kenji said interestedly. "Yahiko teaches me that, too. What's your style?"
"I answered your first question. Go away."
"His is Kamiya Kasshin-ryuu. I'm better at it than he is. Hey, teach me a cool move!"
"Are you deaf?"
"Nope, just annoying," Kenji said cheerfully. "Hey, that's a funny-lookin' sword you got. Looks heavy."
"For you, it would be," Hiko mumbled.
"Can I see it?"
"No."
"Ooh, I didn't even notice these cool pots over here..."
Hiko had had enough. He grabbed Kenji by the scruff of the neck, dragged him to the edge of the clearing, and flung him out among the trees. "Go away, kid. I'm too old to be dealing with smart-aleck brats."
"You really think you can get rid of me like this?"
"I am a master magician in addition to being an expert swordsman. I can get rid of you in several ways, none of them pretty."
"Aw, come on, I just wanted to see a sword-move! And hear about my dad. And find out who you are. And-"
Hiko raised a hand, which began to fizzle ominously with green lightning. "You like frogs, kid? Or would you prefer to be turned into a pig or a squirrel? Take your pick, makes no difference to me."
Before the boy could answer, a voice echoed faintly from the woods. "Oi, Kenji! Where are you?! If you're not here in five minutes, I'll - I'll...make you SORRY!"
"Yahiko," Kenji muttered, and cursed. "He's awake. I gotta go, Shishô. See you tomorrow!" Waving, he darted away with the swift grace of a deer.
"Shishô," Hiko repeated in disbelief. "Not again." Then he frowned, gazing off in the direction Kenji had gone.
This was an irritating development. Hiko had not seen Himura Kenshin in years, but now suddenly here was his son, growing up in the forest with no knowledge of his true identity. "I have a bad feeling about this..."
o.o.o.o.o
Kenji's eyes were open before dawn, despite the fact that he had stayed up late the night before, celebrating his birthday with Megumi and the others. He slipped out of bed, dressed hurriedly, grabbed his shinai, and crept down the stairs as noiselessly as a mouse.
Megumi's sleeping habits were pretty normal, but Yahiko was usually up insanely early to practice swordsmanship on his own, and Sanosuke slept like a log only when it suited him. He could sleep straight through an earthquake or Megumi's bellowing, but if an intruder so much as stepped on a twig, he'd be up and ready to fight in seconds. Kenji had gotten quite good at sneaking out of the house, but his methods were by no means perfect; he still got caught occasionally, so caution was required.
It was fun to trek through the forest so early in the morning, when the birds were just barely beginning their sleepy warbling and the sun peeked shyly over the horizon, still wondering if it was time to get up yet. Dew dripped from the leaves, plonking softly to the grass below.
When Kenji was some distance away from the cottage, he pulled his shinai free and began to swing it enthusiastically, preparing for the day when he would get to fight against real enemies instead of a bossy punk or inanimate objects. "Head! Shoulder!" Then, quickly tiring of the lame Kamiya Kasshin-ryuu attacks, he began making up his own. "Kenji Secret Move: Bone-Crush! Hyooooh! Take that, evil warlord! Kenji Super-Secret Move: Head-Spli- Oof!"
Kenji suddenly crashed into what felt like an invisible wall and was tossed back onto his butt. "What the heck?" He glared at the air in front of him. He knew he was close to his destination, the home of that cool magician/swordsman/potter. The guy couldn't have put up a barrier, could he? Kenji got back to his feet and pushed at the air, which pushed back. "He did! That's guy's trying to keep me out!"
A stubborn look crossed the boy's face. Drawing his shinai, he backed up and then charged. "Hyah!" Bamboo crashed onto magical nothingness and bounced right back off, stinging Kenji's hands. He cursed and kicked at the invisible wall, then howled and clutched at his aching foot.
"Will you please shut up?" Hiko's imposing figure came looming out of the trees beyond the barrier. He smirked when he saw Kenji, who quickly straightened and brandished the shinai.
"Let me through, Shishô!"
"Not a chance. I put this up specifically to keep you out."
"Oh yeah? Well, I've got news for you, old man. I am Kenji of the forest! No walls can hold me or keep me out!"
"Is that so?" Hiko said leisurely, crossing his arms and giving the boy a skeptical look.
Kenji's eyes narrowed. Hacking at the barrier with his shinai wasn't going to work. If only he had some kind of magical- Ah.
"Yes, it is," he asserted. He put his hands on his hips for emphasis, and to disguise the fact that he was reaching into his pocket. Hiko, however, did not miss the little flicker of motion. "Mastery of Two Layers!" Kenji announced, and slammed his fist against the barrier. "Hah!"
The barrier did not explode, but Kenji's hand slipped right through, followed by the rest of him. He stood there, grinning triumphantly at Hiko, who frowned.
"Mastery of Two Layers, my butt," the man decided, and darted out a hand to see what Kenji had clenched in his fist.
"No!" the boy shouted, but the struggle was a short one; Hiko had soon pried open his fingers to reveal - a few apple seeds.
"What the heck?" Hiko wondered.
"They're mine," Kenji said sulkily, snatching them back and burying them safely back in his pocket. "My granny gave them to me."
Hiko gave him a wary look. "Your great-grandmother, I would guess. Things just keep getting worse and worse. Whatever. Just stay out of my way, kid." He turned and headed back toward the cottage, with Kenji trailing behind happily.
"Hey, are you gonna teach me sword-moves today?"
"No," Hiko said shortly, despite knowing that the kid would most likely manage to prove him a liar.
"Pleeeeaase, just a little one?"
"There aren't any 'little' sword moves," he said in disgust.
"Good, then teach me a big one!"
Hiko stopped and whirled to face him. "I made a mistake to teach Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu to Himura Kenshin. I'm not stupid enough to go teaching it to his son next."
"Heheh. So his name's Himura Kenshin, and your sword style is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu."
Hiko rolled his eyes and tramped on.
"Kamiya Kasshin-ryuu doesn't let you kill anyone; is Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu like that, too?"
"Try not killing someone with the Ryuutsuisen," Hiko muttered.
"Dragon-hammer Strike?" Kenji said interestedly. "How's that one work?"
Hiko paused. Then he shrugged. "Leap high into the air, which adds great force to your strike as you descend; arms like this. The weapon being in this hand, of course."
Kenji drew in a breath as the move played itself out in his mind - he could virtually see how it would work against an enemy. "Shishô, you HAVE to teach me that!" Kenji begged.
"Bug off, kid."
"I'm not gonna leave 'til you teach me!"
"Fine."
Kenji's mouth dropped open. "Really?"
"Sure, I'll teach you, kid. I'm sure that Megumi of yours would love having some nice new cooking pots."
"What are you...? HEY! Not pottery, you idiot!"
Hiko turned to face him again. "Oh, so it's 'idiot' now. Is that how you address someone you're supposed to respect as your master?"
Kenji immediately dropped to his knees and made obeisance in such an exaggerated manner that Hiko rolled his eyes. "I beg of you to condescend to teach this lowly one your secret arts, oh great and mighty Hiko-sama!"
"Request denied." Hiko walked on again, smirking a little.
"What?!" Kenji popped up like a grasshopper and tried to tackle him. "No one treats Himura Kenji like that and walks away grinning!"
Exactly one swift, careful punch later, Hiko did just that.
Kenji, groaning and clutching his stomach, slowly climbed back to his feet and hobbled after the man. "Shishô...come on...I'm serious, I wanna learn kenjutsu, and you're the best one to teach me. Please? Please let me learn from you, Shishô."
A little surprised, Hiko looked back and was unprepared for what he saw. The look on the boy's face was earnest, pleading, frustrated, lonely...and those big blue eyes were glimmering with a look that was way too familiar.
"Himura Kenji," Hiko said slowly. "Why is it that you want to learn kenjutsu so much? What is it you plan to do with your skill?"
Kenji scowled. "I wanna get out of the forest. I wanna see what the world is really like. I wanna...I want to defend myself so that...Megumi and the others won't worry about me anymore."
Hiko pondered this, then shrugged. "Not good enough."
"What?!" Kenji's eyes blazed. "What's good enough, then? What am I supposed to say?! What are you looking for, Shishô!"
Hiko frowned. "Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu is unbeatable in the hands of one who has truly mastered it. It is meant for the defense of the weak, not for selfish gratification. You're just an antsy punk kid, what do you care about justice, or the troubles of others?"
"But I...!" Kenji had no real answer to that.
"At least your father treated life seriously. His eyes...girly though they were, there was a passion in them, a passion to serve others, not himself. I saw the potential in him; even as a child, he had tasted true hardship and retained a pure heart. You are nothing like him."
"I'm a KID!" Kenji exploded. "I'm not supposed to care about all that! So, what, was my father born some kind of saint or something? How can you expect that from anyone normal?"
"Hmph." Hiko shook his head. "Tell you what: I'm not teaching you Hiten Mitsurugi-ryuu. But there is something..."
Kenji's head lifted hopefully.
"Fourteen years ago, some weak-kneed pansy of a servant stumbled in here, chucked a sword at my feet, and fled without a word. The sword belonged to your father - I'll never know what the heck he meant me to do with it, but...I suppose you can have it. If you want it, that is."
"Of course I want it!"
The sword, when Hiko finally dropped it into Kenji's hands, was so heavy that Kenji grunted and nearly fell over. "What the heck is this? It's way too heavy to be a sword!"
"Shows how much you know."
Kenji grasped the hilt and slowly drew it out, then stared at it. "It's made of metal."
"What were you expecting?" Hiko said in annoyance. "Crystal?"
"Wood, of course!"
"Your father may have been an idiot, but he had no reason to waste his talents with a bokutô."
"What do you mean? All swords are made of wood. Real ones, anyway." He hitched his shoulder, where the shinai hung.
Hiko stared at him. "Have you been living under a rock?"
"Um, no," Kenji said defensively. "Who uses metal swords, besides weirdos like you?"
Hiko scratched his head. There was definitely something wrong here.
Kenji, losing interest in the argument, was inspecting the weapon.
"You're holding it upside-down," Hiko pointed out.
Kenji frowned. "But the cutting edge is this way."
"It's a sakabatô. Don't ask me where he got it or what he used it for."
"A reversed blade," Kenji murmured, hefting the sword with some difficulty and attempting to swing it. He was not used to its weight, however, and he lost his grip. Fumbling for it automatically, his fingers caught at the blade, the sharp edge slicing open lines of blood.
"What are you doing?" Hiko said sharply, but it was too late. Kenji stood there for a moment, a confused look on his face, the sword lying heavily in the grass at his feet. Then he closed his eyes, slid to his knees, and dropped softly into the grass, blood dripping from his hands.
Hiko rolled his eyes, then knelt and shook the boy's shoulder. "I thought you were an idiot, but I never expected you to be squeamish enough to faint at the sight of blood."
There was no response from Kenji, and Hiko frowned. "Kid. Hey, kid." He shook harder. The boy's head lolled in an unencouraging way. Hiko placed his fingers to the boy's neck, and his eyes widened when he could not find a pulse. His hand flew to the boy's heart, which was still beating in a sluggish way, but when he tried looking for a pulse again, there was none. The boy's skin was growing cold under his fingers.
"Oh...crap."
To be continued...
Author's Notes: "Mattaku" means something like "geez."
At first I was going to make Kenji seven years old (because seven's a significant number to the fae), but then I realized he wouldn't be strong enough to hold a steel sword. So I upped the age to fourteen for two reasons; not only is it a multiple of seven, but that is also the age Kenshin was when he became a hitokiri in the manga.