I do not own Rorouni Kenshin, bla, bla, bla...(Ah…You already knew that…Good) Note: Be warned. It will include violence, some use of profane language, and will include some extent of explicit sexual content, so keep on reading at your own risk. The story begins few month before the events of Kyoto Arc, so it will include spoilers and some elements from it as well as from the Revenge Arc too, although my fic will not follow either the anime or the manga, and I will break some canon rules. Mir has been helping me with this and the improvement in the vocabulary and grammar through this chapter is due to Mir's kindness and supervision. 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 Of Legendary Creatures and Mystical Beasts By Firuze Khanume (firuzekhanume@hotpop.com) Prologue -- The Desert 8888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888888 - No! The angered, stubborn cry, echoed against the sandy hills around him. Sun fell mercilessly over his body, while the dancing shadows of the birds of prey hung over his head, waiting for him to surrender to his sealed fate. He can't die. He couldn't. Not yet... - Not yet! Kami, I have never bowed or prayed to you, but now...please...! His body was numb. He had blisters on his face, his back, his feet... The injuries to his side were burning like hell ... He had been lost in the desert for the past ten days, without any food or water for the last two of them, and his emergency medical supplies had disappeared long ago. His horse had dropped dead of exhaustion on the fourth day, and he managed to fed himself from the flesh and blood until the eighth day, when he had run out of luck. If some kind of miracle didn't happen soon, he knew he would become vulture's dinner in a few hours, and for this reason he didn't care if he had to beg to the Kami or whatever God or Demon above the skies or down the Earth he could remember the name. He had cursed, cried in pure rage, crawled stubbornly upon the sand fighting the urge to giving up to inevitability. His last resource was to beg. Because he couldn't leave this world peacefully knowing that the demon was still untouched -- he had to achieve his long cherished goal. The demon had not paid for what he has done; the man's only purpose in life was to face him with justice. His justice. No, he couldn't die in the desert, in such meaningless way. He has many things to accomplish yet. Slowly, he took one step, two, three… He collapsed to the ground, facedown in the sand. Tenaciously he managed to get up, leaving the mark of his hands and knees imprinted on the sand in blood. It was a new invitation to predators to come to the feast, a feast with him as the main course, he thought, ironically. Another two steps… again he felt the ground against his face…he couldn't stay down… he shouldn't…but he was so damned tired…so damned tired… He closed his eyes. Only for a moment -- he would stay there only for one moment… He saw fog rising to engulf him. Fog? In the middle of the desert? he wondered So that was it. He was just dying. He had always thought his death would be a violent one with the cold of a blade piercing his flesh or the heat of a killing bullet, even the bitterness of poison on his lips as the last things he would experience of this world. But he had never expected fog. He would have laughed if he could have at the madness of the ending, so anticlimatical. It was useless to fight back now. That was it. The end. - I'm so sorry, 'neesan…I failed to prootect you…I failed to make you happy…and now I'm doing it again, betraying my promise to you. I'm sorry…Could you ever forgive me, 'neesan ? Will you be there for me now? Those were his last words, his last thoughts before the thick whiteness enveloped his body 88888888888888888888888888888888888888888 The mirror on the wall of her room was glowing. < Quite strange> the redheaded girl thought, approaching cautiously to it. Magical mirrors sometimes could be dangerous, unpredictable objects, but hers had never given troubles… till now. She tried to look through it from a safe distance. Something, no… someone ('a human?' she wondered) was out there, crawling the sands stubbornly… But why the mirror was showing her that image? Humans died all the time along the desert sands; it was nothing out of the ordinary, something to be expected from those weak beings, something as common as the sound of the singing glass flowers… What made that human so special that the mirror was showing him to her in such way? She drew near the glowing image, her eyes narrowed, her body tense in expectation, studying the reflection before her gaze with thorough concentration. And then, realization dawned on her as the shinning golden skies on the mid of a summer day. The being showed by the mirror was not an ordinary human. He was a young male despite the white hair crowning his head and even with his miserable guise due his extensive injuries he looked quite strong yet. But which called for her immediate attention was that was not apparent to the eye: his hidden nature. < A half-breed warrior?!> She thought still in wonder, looking at the tall, well built man stumbling through the burning sands She was astonished. A human with a mixed heritage! She had heard the stories, as everybody else, about the Mystical Beasts, those ancient Guardians of the golden ages breeding sometimes with humans. They goal was to produce outstanding beings when hardships was about to befall to any particular place and people within the Human Realm, beings capable of a rightful, wise leadership, or exceptional acts of heroism to inspire future generations. But as the very beings that engendered those half-breeds, they were extremely sensible to their environment and the events surrounding them, which could turn a being meant to be a beneficial one into a wicked slave of darkness. The girl wondered to whom he was serving… She would go to the Elders. They had to be warned. The half-breed had to be rescued; they needed to uncover who he was and what he was doing, but most importantly who were the powers behind him. She was excited. Probably she will be rewarded, but the only regard she was interested in was to be allowed to be the half-breed's guardian. Humans had always captivated her, but in addition this being had not only a human part, but also a magical one. It would be a fascinating experience! Giving a last glance to the glowing mirror, she smiled, and with an elegant wave of her hand she disappeared, to get an audience with the Elders. She was in a hurry, who knows how much the human could endure such harsh conditions… 88888888888888888888888888888 A pair of tranquil violet eyes tried to pierce the darkness in front of him, just for the sake of habit. The owner of the quiet but determined gaze, a small redheaded man with a thick beard tinted with white strands, knew pretty well the female figure in front of him. She had visited him for years now, and finally, she was getting was she had strived so hard during all that time. - I hope for your own sake, and the onee of you are trying to protect that this attempt of yours works… - I'm sure it will. I know him, his innner self, and if she is as the one with her own blood she will save him. And us all in the process. - We spent over two centuries on her miission, only the nature of the one you represent made us to change our original plans. - And for that I will be eternally in yyour debt.- the flowing female, surrounded in shadows yet bowed gracefully to the man - We'll see if your confidence in both of them pays off. Now, it has just started, and there is no turning back from this road. If your perception is wrong, both might be destroyed, and worst, the cosmic balance would be shaken to the core. My people agreed just because the preservation of the Mystical Beast is above any other goal, but I know deeply in my heart that she will fail. It was not her destiny. - Destiny is not written on stone. You know that. It's a universal truth. - Maybe… But still there are things thaat shouldn't be played with. - Be confident. Service, self-sacrificee, conscience of higher goals, and protection of those in need are in her nature… as they also were in the other chosen one, the one she is related to. - And you know that first hand, my dearr. But you learnt it the hard way… - Sometimes things are not what they apppear in first place. - Do you still miss him? - Very much. But my heart is in anotherr one. He has been waiting for me uncomplainingly - I know… but now you may rest in peacee with him at last. - No.- the short redheaded could guess her sadness though the tone that tinted her voice- Mi mission won't be complete till I see the one I protect safe and guarded from evil… or either I take his soul to rest with mine. Only then I will be allowed to rest. - It's a heavy burden… - As much as yours, and equally a self imposed one. If we were not the ones to do it… who would take our places? - I can see your point…- now the sadnesss was spread through the man's voice. - Won't we meet again? - Only if it's completely necessary. - All right then. I'm sorry for the manny annoyances I put in your path… - Maybe we needed them- he chucked- Goood bye… and good luck - We all will need it The female figure faded slowly against the shadows till he knew he was now alone again. He closed his eyes. She was right they all would need ll the luck they could get. All the Realms were in danger, and only the three chosen Guardians would be able to protect them all. But at the rate things had been happening, it was hardly believable they could even be arisen. He sighed. The woman has said a truth, 'destiny is not written on stone', but that universal rule was now the one which made to face the actual dangers and uncertainties. He prayed silently, hoping with all his heart that the woman was right. Because if she wasn't, they could be all doomed.