A/n Hello Everyone!
Finally, FINALLY I've decided to start posting the stories I've been working on the past year. Do not worry. I'm still working on my older works. But I needed a break from them as writing them has become a struggle. I didn't want to aggravate the writers block. They will be updated eventually.

This will be a bit of an epic story, it may go a bit slow for some. The rating WILL CHANGE, there will be sex, violence, rape and death. If you do not wish to read about that then you've been warned. There will be lots of nice stuff as well I promise.

I hope to see all my old readers, if you are still around. And I hope to meet some new readers. And I admit that I am a bit worried about jumping back into writing RK fan fiction after it's been so long. But it's still my favorite thing to do when life lets me.

P.S. I used a common dark fae/elf known as the Drow in this story. I truthfully admit that I know next to nothing about this fantasy race and will more than likely depict them wrong. I drew inspiration from fan art only and basically made up the characters they display in this story.

Enjoy!

"This war must end!" Enki demanded as he banged his fist on the round wooden table. Four Kings of the fairies stood around this table, and around then were many of their advisers, soldiers and followers. Enik was King of the Earth Clans he as well as fellow ruler Aither, King of the Air Clans were both glaring at Huojin and Nernus.

"Elemental fae have been warring for too long." Aither said in his calm tone. Gray eyes, large and pleading as he struggled to reason with his fellows. "Earth and Air have lived on peaceful terms for many generations. We have lived in harmony with both of your clans. Why can't you, Huojin, King of the Fire Clans and you Nernus of the Water Clans, get along. You two are the only ones who insist on war." He clasped his hands in front of his thin body.

Huojin was a young King. He stood taller than the rest with broad shoulders, his skin tan and his body lean. His hair was so red it looked black and was pulled into sever war braids while the rest of it hung pin straight down his back. His face was long and narrow with sharp features and blazing eyes. His body was slightly bulky from muscles and armor. A warrior's body. He looked silently from the Air King to the Earth King and then glanced at his foe, as his hand rested on the hilt of a large sword that hung at his hip.

Nernus was older than Huojin, but just as strong. His shorter body was taught with muscles; his hair was as pale as his skin and was a shaggy mane on the top of his head. A thick, yet neatly trimmed white beard covered most of his facial features. Aqua blue eyes pierced past bushy eyebrows. He too looked at his foe from the other side of the small round table. He looked past the King to his kin behind him, and was aware of his own kin at his back. How long they had fought the hot headed Fires? How many had died because of useless squabbles? "I for one am ready for peace. I do not want more deaths of my kin on my shoulders." He watched Huojin carefully.

Historically, the Fire Clan refused treaty, not wanting to give into the demands of the Water Clans. But Huojin was thoughtful. Though his people were warriors and eager for battle, he didn't want more enemies than he needed. It was hard enough keeping the Drow at bay in the mountains; he didn't need to watch his back from the rivers and sea. "I would rather have my battles with the Drow, than the Water Clan." He said finally. Aither and Enki both gave a sigh of relief. "But how will I be sure you will keep your peace?" The Fire King immediately challenged.

Nernus gave a huff. "I was about to inquire the same thing of you."

"I propose a marriage between the two clans." Enki suggested quickly as the two Kings were already giving each other confrontational looks. The Earth King was as tall as the Air King was short. Mahogany and golden hair hung lose to curl around his shoulders. At his brow was a circle of gold with branches of deer antlers jutting up from the sides. Leaf green eyes glanced hopefully at his fellow patriarchs.

"Capital idea!" Aither added turning quickly to the Fire King. "Have you a high relative fit for marriage? A wedding between the clans would calm the subjects. You would be kin."

Houjin didn't like the idea of being kin with the likes of Waters. But it was an idea that had worked countless times in the past. In fact it was how the Earth and Fire clans became so close, far before his time. "I have a nephew." The ruler offered slowly, still in thought. "My brother's son. He is a man of seventeen and a soldier in the mountains fighting the Drow at this exact moment. He is a clever and strong young man with sword skills that could put me to shame.

Eniki knew of who Houjin spoke of. "Kenshin? I didn't know he was already part of your ranks against the Drow."

Houjin nodded. "Has been for a little over a year now. Thankfully the Drow seem content at the moment to keep to their territory, but he has seen many battles. He is a skilled assassin."

The three other kings seemed impressed. Eniki turned to the Water King. "Nernus, have you a relative of high rank to marry to Houjin's nephew?"

Nernus scrambled though the family tree in his mind. He didn't have many female relatives who were not already married. Not any of high enough rank to be worthy of Houjin's warrior. "I have…" he started slowly, he wasn't going to be the one to break the treaty the one time Houjin was willing to take part in. "I have a cousin…his daughter."

"Your cousin's daughter!" Aither interrupted, throwing his hands in the air. "Perfect match." He was rushing to get the treaty signed before anyone could change their minds. Yet Houjin was already sweeping his hands in the air in front of him.

"Ho, now…who is this cousin, who is his daughter? I want to know who you think is worthy of Kenshin."

"Glendower is my cousin, he is ruler of Aiga Keep. He's getting in his advanced years and I believe he will pass into the next life shortly. Glendower only has one child so if your nephew weds his daughter, he will become Lord over the Keep." It was the only idea Nernus could think of to make the offer, one Houjin wouldn't refuse; already he could see the gleam in the Fire King's red eyes.

He knew of Aiga Keep well. Many years he had tried to worm his way into that Water Fae infested cavern to get at the pure, cold water that sprung up from its center. "The water in that keep is the purest water in all the country."

Nernus nodded. "So it has been stated. It is at the moment used for medical and healing purposes."

"I would build a grand forge in the Keep where the water to quench my weapons would be pure and grant them the magic of not only fire and metal, but of water." Plans were already coming together in his mind.

The Water King frowned and glanced at the two other rulers who watched the transaction, both hardly daring to breathe. "Building a forage in the Keep would bring Fire Fae into Aiga"

"Houjin crossed his arms. "Obviously." Where was he getting at?

"Aiga keep will belong to the Fire as well as Water. A forage shall be built for your weapons of war, but you must promise that the forage and its inhabitants will respect the Keep and all who live there. They will not pollute Aiga and treat the people as their own Kin. Those pure waters are used for healing."

That wasn't hard to Houjin to agree to. He demanded his subjects be well behaved towards each other and their allies. Once the Waters become Kin, that law will include them as well and he would also especially demand the Keep to stay clean for fear of polluting the pure spring water. He nodded. "Anything else?"

Now Nernus was nervous. "Yes…Kaoru…the girl….well she is but a girl, of seven."

Around them, Fae from all elements gasped and muttered among themselves. A child bride? Would Houjin agree to it?

The Fire King was surprised. But the promise of the pure water that he had been trying to get was too much of a temptation for him to change his mind. Such marriages were not so uncommon. His nephew was hardly ten years older, and besides, that would at least guarantee that the bride was a virgin. "It matters not." He said with a shrug of his shoulders.

"Deal then?" Enki said in a breathless whisper. His heart had nearly stopped when Nernus announced the bride was but a child, but Houjin knew what he wanted, and he wanted that Keep.

"Deal." Nernus said first, thrusting his hand out to the center of the table.

Houjin took one extra long moment to think about it and he too stuck his hand out and clasped the offered hand.

Fire and Water touched and thin curls of steam rose up from their fingers. Enki and Aither clasped their hands with them. The Four Great Kings, together once again after more than a millennia apart. Enki shouted with his rumbling voice. "With this union, Fire, Water, Earth and Air will be Kin once more!"

A thunderous roar rose up from the subjects around them.

… . . …

~~One Week Later~~

Kenshin hardly breathed as he slowly inched over the branch that hung over the Drow camp. The tree was just out of the ring of dancing light of the campfire. The sharp eyed Drow would see him if he was careless. Around the camp, others were in the same position. Assassins.

More often than not, Fae from the Air Clans would be assassins. They had the ability to move a swift as the wind and just as silent and invisible. They were small and light. But Kenshin proved to be just as skilled, and as a Fire…possessed the strength needed for such jobs. They joked that there must be Air blood in him. Kenshin never knew much about his mother, his father hardly spoke of her. So he never really liked that joke even though it had been proven that he had full Fire bloodlines.

There it was, a soft call in the night, hardly a whisper of a frog croak. Kenshin launched himself from the tree and landed behind the nearest Drow. He was a young warrior, by the looks of the marking on his dark skin. But Kenshin didn't take the time to study. His sword was free of its sheath and he caught the male across the chest. The sword sliced through bone with hardly a change in resistance. Kenshin quickly took a step back and with a flick of his arm, sent the blade across the neck of his enemy with lightning speed. The nearly decapitated body of the dark creature fell to the ground.

Aware of the attack, other Drow jumped into the battles. Kenshin took only a moment to flash his yellow eyes across the camp to see that all his fellow assassins were still on their feet. He then pivoted on the ball of one foot, bringing his sword at hip level and caught a Drow that had run up behind him. Kenshin grunted as his sword met too much resistance with so much bone and organs in the way. He put his free hand on the hilt below his other hand and forced the blade across the body. From hip to shoulder the Drow was splayed open and blood sprayed.

Red rain fell from all directions as the assassins quickly and silently eliminated every Drow in the small camp.

… . . …

"How did it go?" Hiko asked when his son walked into the tent. As always Kenshin was covered in blood, it stuck to his hair and it made his dark tunic stiff and glued to his skin. His face was unreadable, but his eyes were not. They flashed, like the flickering of firelight.

"All were killed." He said simply as he slowly peeled the tacky tunic from his shoulders.

"Hunters?"

"They were scouts." Kenshin sat on the small stool by a large bucket of water Hiko had ready for him. But instead of washing, Kenshin pulled his sword out and started the meticulous task of cleaning it.

Hiko could only shake his head. He was the one who had taught him the importance of sword upkeep. "So many scouts?" He took a long drink from the earthenware jug on the small table beside him. "It's fortunate that we discovered them."

"Yes." Was all the teenager said.

"Wouldn't it have been prudent to take one as a prisoner so that we could get information from him?"

Kenshin shrugged. "I would think so. But the Drow do not let themselves be captured alive. If they do not die in battle they take their own lives to avoid that from happening."

"Of course." He knew that. Hiko would have been content to leave it at that. It would be better to pump one of the other assassins for information. Yet the master had more pressing concerns. "Your Uncle writes us." He stated, looking down at the large, decorated scroll holder that sat on the table beside his jug.

Kenshin paused in the dis-assembly of his weapon. "The King?"

"The very one." Hiko stated. He didn't envy his brother for being king; in fact, he was happy with his life out on the front lines. The responsibilities of being king were not for him.

When he gave no more information Kenshin pressed. "What does he have to say?"

Hiko gave a soft sigh. "Treaty had been signed by the four kings. Water is now kin."

Kenshin took a moment to think. He set his cleaned sword to the side and looked down at his reflection in the water. "I'm surprised Houjin would agree to that." He dunked his head into the water and kept it there for a few moments. Water…always moving, always changing. It was hard and unmovable, and also flowing and yielding to the shape of it's container. Much like the Fae, Water flexed. It was unpredictable, untrustworthy.

"He had a good enough reason to." Hiko stated, taking another drink.

Water surged as Kenshin pulled his head back up. Tainted, pink water ran from his bloody hair to his face and down his bare chest and he worked to free more of the Drow blood from his body. "And what could be so important that Houjin would lower himself to sign a peace treaty with the wet clans?"

"Seems the Water King had agreed to hand over Aiga Keep. You know that place?"

"I've heard of it."

"Seems important to Houjin that the Fire Clan has control of this place….He's sent me word that he is going to have you marry the child-daughter of the Lord there, you will inherit the Keep once the Wet Fae dies, which I hear may be soon."

Kenshin blinked. "He what?"

… . . …

"Are you sure you want to stay at the Academy?"

Twelve year old Megumi looked up at her adoptive mother. The woman was well into middle age, a widow, her husband died years ago, leaving the woman childless and lonely. Her skin was tan and dark from sun exposure, her hair was curled tight and was a mahogany red brown, her eyes...golden. She looked nothing like Megumi. No one looked like Megumi, she was the stranger.

"I want to be serious about learning the healing arts, mother." Megumi said, pulling at her vermilion student robes. She glanced up at her mother.

The woman was chewing on her lip, obviously worried. "But Megumi dear, so many Fires around."

Megumi swallowed and nodded. She knew her mother worried….she was a Fire herself. She knew….Megumi was just a small child when she wandered into the boarders of Coruirn. It was a rather neutral city near the Nether Expanse. A large swatch of land owned by no Elemental Kingdom. But that was hardly something the girl had worried about. Guards in an outpost noticed her and rode out to find to their surprise a child of only a handful of years. And even greater surprise was that she was a Water Fae. She was in a torn pale blue nightdress, dirty, and bleeding shockingly from wounds on her head. Blood had flowed and dried down her face and neck to stain the front of her nightdress. Her feet were also bleeding from crossing miles of hard ground barefoot.

Suspicious, they almost chased her away, but decided to let their General know. She didn't talk, but looked happy to see them, which caused the hearts of the Fires to ache in the thought of leaving her to her fate. They were enemies yes, but she was such a small child, hungry and hurt. The Fires could not bring themselves to be savages. They were not the Drow.

Their General agreed and took the child into the city straight to the Silver Oak academy where the best healers studied. A lengthy exam showed that the wounds on her head were only superficial and not dangerous, but it was obvious that she has suffered a blow to the skull. The Master healer placed her with an old friend, the widow. It took over a month before the girl started talking. She didn't know a moment of her past before being found. Her oldest memory was seeing the city of Corurin in the distance.

Megumi only knew her name and nothing else. But she thrived under the care of her new mother and even though she was a Water fae in enemy lands she grew to love her community as well. She was looked upon with indifference at best, suspicion at worst.

"I heard the news." The young Water fae continued. "That Water and Fire are to be kin. And that all people are united now. I want to go to school."

The old widow nodded. "It has yet to be cemented." She cautioned. "But you have shown such skill, even your teachers have recommended the academy." Her healing skill was head and shoulders over others her own age. It was natural, as Water fae have powerful healing capabilities."I just want you to be careful. You'll be with older children." The widow shifted, a slit in her calf length dress relieved a tan skin of her thigh, covered with dark tattoo marks. "They have not known you as long as your peers."

And they may not like her.

The sentence hung in the air, unsaid, but Megumi understood. While the people didn't treat her bad, children were constantly teasing. While a few had become friends, and a few had looked upon her with respect…others singled her out for hate.

"However, I can't stop you from going." her mother said with a sigh, setting a hand gently on the strange inky black hair of her child. "Master Healer Bayle is eager to have you."

The same Master Healer who had seen her on her first day in the city. "He is?" Megumi blinked in surprise.

"Very, he's kept his eye on you and your studies. The teachers speak of your skill."

Megumi felt heat on her face. "I don't want to be treated as special." She said quietly, looking away from her mother across the grassy field to where the brilliant sun baked stones of the academy jutted from the ground. She wanted to make it on her own skill. To earn her respect the same as anyone else.

Her mother smiled, her fingers threading though her silky straight hair. "Don't worry my child, I have faith in you."

… . . …

"But I don't wanna!" Kaoru wailed.

"Yeah, Fire people are scary." Her six-year-old cousin, Misao agreed with a nod of her head.

Glendower shook his head at his charge. "Misao, Fire people are not scary, they are just different. That doesn't mean they are bad." Eyes gray with age turned to his seven-year-old daughter. "Kaoru this is an order from our King, we must not disobey."

"But…" Kaoru wanted to argue. But as a girl of seven she did not yet possess the articulation needed to voice her feelings.

"Fire will be our Kin…they will protect you and everyone else in the Keep." Glendower stated.

Kaoru twisted the handle of the basket made of dried river seaweed in her hands. The plant creaked, but didn't break. "But I don't want them to move into the Keep, this is our home…they are mean and loud and…"

"And you have no choice but to marry the Nephew of the Fire King." Glendower was tired of arguing with a child. He was just as unhappy as her, but he could see the logic in it. It would finally put an end to all the wars between them. The Keep would have protection, something it was lacking in. And he knew that his beloved child would be taken care of once he was gone.

Kaoru stomped her little foot, her face pinched. "This isn't fair! I don't wanna get married."

"Nonsense, all little girls want to get married." The old man stated.

"Yeah, when we're older and not to some stupid hot-head." Eyes as deep blue as the clearest lagoon began to water. She knew there was no way she could argue her way out of this if it was an order from the King.

"Be proud…you're marrying above your birth." The nephew to the Fire King…whereas Kaoru was only second cousin to Nernus. With this union, the two fighting clans will drop their misgivings about each other and raise up swords against their real enemy…the Dark Ones.

"This will truly be a grand wedding."

A/n Poor little Kaoru. She's too young to really understand. This chapter was a bit of a set up for the rest of the story, we get to see the wedding in the next one.
Kenshin as a teenager seems to take it with a bit more understanding, but I'm sure he doesn't want to marry a child.
Megumi is taking a big step in going to a school where she is the only one of her kind. I feel if I were Megumi, I'd be scared out of my mind.
PLEASE review and let me know how you feel about this start. I know it's only the first chapter but reviews are my motivation. I love to hear your thoughts and ideas. If you have questions, please ask. I'll try an answer everyone. As Always, thank you for reading, and reviews are loved.