Needless to say, Kaoru was very doubtful of what Kenshin and the others were telling her. Shapeshifters and animal spirits were supposed to be nothing more than folk tales from long ago, used to explain the strange things that occurred in everyday life. Never would she have thought such things to be true, even if Kenshin were telling it to her in his most sincere tone.
"What do you think she is going to do, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked.
"I'll tell you what she's gonna do!" blurted Sanosuke. "She's gonna do something nice and then we'll have to pay for it somehow!"
"But Kenshin already did something for her." Yahiko blinked. "Why would she want more?"
"'Cause she's a fox!" Sano slapped his hand on the floor. "That's the way foxes are! Foxes, badgers, raccoons, you name it!"
"Is someone referring to me?" Megumi stepped into the room. She had just come from helping a patient when she heard Sanosuke talking about the animal she was commonly referred to as.
"Not this time." replied Yahiko. "It turns out that Kaoru's newest pupil is a real fox, and I don't mean that she's just a pretty lady! She really is a fox!"
"Are you serious?" the woman doctor sat down with the rest of them. "What does a fox have to do with any of us?"
Kenshin carefully explained about the encounter with Kitsui in the dojo and what they were discussing as to what to do about her.
"I think you should pick something for her to give you, Kenshin." Megumi said. "She sounds pretty determined to pay you back, and if you don't choose something, she will."
"Like what?" Yahiko perked up curiously.
"Anything," Megumi replied. "Particularly something we wouldn't be expecting."
"Somehow, that's not very reassuring." muttered Sanosuke.
"I will not change my answer if she comes back." Kenshin said softly. "She owes me nothing as far as I'm concerned. I am not Battosai anymore, that I am not."
"Kenshin…" Kaoru breathed.
"If we're fortunate, maybe she won't come back." said Megumi.
Everyone nodded agreeably.
***************************************
Several days had passed since the incident with Kitsui had occurred, and by that time, everyone simply assumed that the fox would not be returning anytime soon, if at all. No one had any idea just how wrong that assumption would prove to be.
It was another normal day at the dojo. The sun shone brilliantly in the sky, as though nothing could possibly go wrong. The humidity promised some thundershowers for later, but other than that, no sign of trouble was apparent for the day.
Kaoru was in the dojo, practicing with her bokken. After having chased Yahiko around unsuccessfully, she resigned herself to training so as to put her mind at ease. She was facing away from the door, and so when she heard the shogi open and shut behind her, she thought nothing of it.
"Kenshin?" she asked without turning around.
"My apologies for disappointing you." came a familiar female voice.
Kaoru whipped around in time to see Kitsui, standing there in her true form. The fox grinned mischievously as she sent a magic spell in Kaoru's direction.
Sanosuke and Yahiko had been outside when they heard Kaoru scream, and they came running in her direction as fast as they could. Before they could reach the door, Kitsui suddenly appeared in front of them.
"The fox!" Yahiko cried.
Sanosuke lunged at her with everything he had, but she easily dodged every blow. She leapt to the roof of the dojo and unleashed her magic on the boys. When the smoke cleared, Kitsui was gone, and where Sanosuke and Yahiko had been standing were a rooster and a wolf. The two animals looked at one another and leapt back away from each other in surprise.
"Y-You really are a rooster!" the wolf glared at the other animal in disbelief.
"And you- you're really a wolf!" the rooster replied.
"Wait a second," said the wolf. "You got turned into a rooster like we all call you sometimes…"
"But we never call you a wolf and that's what she turned you into!" the rooster clucked irritatedly.
"If we're like this…" the wolf began.
"What about Kaoru!!" the rooster flapped wildly.
The two animals ran at the door to the dojo and pawed it open. Kaoru was nowhere to be found. The only thing in the middle of the dojo floor was a timid raccoon, which turned around cautiously at their entrance.
"Is that-" the wolf began.
"-Kaoru?" the rooster approached the raccoon carefully.
"Yes, it's me…" the raccoon piped. "What happened to you two?"
"We heard you scream," said the rooster. "And when we came to investigate, Kitsui showed up and turned us into this!"
The wolf, who was obviously Yahiko, grinned at the sight of Kaoru's new form. As much as he tried to hold in his laughter, it came bursting out and he rolled all over the floor, unable to contain himself.
"Wow!" said Yahiko. "I never thought I'd see the day when Kaoru the ugly raccoon really became a raccoon!"
"Shut up, Yahiko!" Kaoru tried to pick up her bokken to whack Yahiko over the head with it several times, but it was just impossible with her short arms and clumsy paws. Her failed efforts only made the wolf howl with laughter even harder.
They didn't laugh for much longer though. In no time, they heard Megumi cry out and knew who the next victim was going to be.
"We have to help Kenshin!" Kaoru dashed to the door to slide it open, but she could do little more than inch it open with all of her strength. Yahiko managed to open the shogi much more successfully, and the three animals raced to warn Kenshin that he was likely next. On the way there, a fox joined them, also heading for the swordsman's quarters.
"Kitsui!?" Yahiko blocked the fox's path and growled.
"No!" came Megumi's voice. "It's me! Megumi!"
"Why am I not surprised?" Sano attempted to grin, much to his dismay.
"Let's hurry!" Megumi ran ahead of them and pawed at Kenshin's door.
The sound of a fight came from within Kenshin's room. They heard him cry out before slumping to the floor, with pawed footsteps dashing away. When they finally opened the door, everything seemed normal, but those first glances were very deceiving.
"Kenshin?" Kaoru stepped in cautiously. Kenshin was on one knee on the floor, and he clung to the sakabatou tightly, using it for support. His back was turned toward them, but he knew that they were there.
"Are you alright, Kenshin?" Sanosuke flapped.
"Leave me,…" Kenshin replied. "You should not see this…, that you shouldn't."
"Kenshin!" Kaoru scurried over to him, but he turned away, his eyes closed the entire time. "Kitsui came and turned us all into animals, and left you alone. What happened to you?"
Kenshin refused to answer or even look at her or the others. It was then that Kaoru noticed a few things different about the swordsman's appearance. His hair was unbound, and his ears were now pointed. She looked at the hands, clasping the sakabatou tightly, and saw that they had long sharp claws.
"Go, Kaoru-dono," Kenshin repeated. "This is not something I want you to see."
"Kenshin!" Kaoru put her paws up on Kenshin's knee and pushed gently. "We've all been changed! Will you look at me?!"
Without opening his eyes, Kenshin gently picked up the raccoon and set her with the others. He crouched back down, but this time, he was facing them.
"If you insist, Kaoru-dono," said Kenshin. "I will, but you will not like what you will see, that you will not."
"Kenshin!" barked Yahiko. "You're the one who came out of this better than we did! What's the big deal?"
Kenshin didn't answer them. His long, fire-red hair shadowed his face, and he cracked his eyes open.
"Kenshin?" asked Sanosuke.
After a perfectly silent pause, Kenshin finally opened his eyes and looked straight at the others. Kaoru gasped and the others stepped back, fear and shock washing over their faces. Kenshin's eyes had lost their violet hue, having been replaced by the Battosai amber color. At their reaction, he turned away sharply.
"I told you it wasn't something you should see, that I did!" Kenshin clenched the sakabatou tighter, venting his frustration on it.
"She turned us into animals and you into a demon." said Megumi. "Why?"
"If this is her way of thanking Kenshin," Sano squawked. "I'd hate to see what she'd do if he had pissed her off!"
"We can't live like this, that we can't." Kenshin uttered through clenched teeth. "We must find Kitsui and make her change us back!"
"How?" asked Yahiko. "How will we find her?"
Kenshin surveyed the group and came up with a quick plan.
"In your current forms, Yahiko, Kaoru-dono, and Megumi-san have a good sense of smell. Working together, we can try tracking her down."
"What about me?" Sano clucked angrily at being left out.
"Ah," Kenshin scratched his head, but regretted doing so after he lightly cut himself with his claws. "Sanosuke… it may be safer for you just to stay here, that it may. Kitsui is a fox after all, and foxes do eat birds, that they do."
At this, Megumi nudged the back of her paw against Sanosuke, grinning when he looked up at her timidly. Taking a look at the others, all of them could easily make a meal out of him! How did the former Zanza, strongest member of the Kamiya Dojo group, wind up as a weakling rooster?!
"Where should we start looking?" asked Yahiko.
"Out there." Kenshin pointed towards the bushes around the dojo through the open door. "But… uh…well…"
"What is it, Kenshin?" Kaoru twitched her nose at him.
"It's going to look rather strange for a group of animals to be poking around the bushes, that it is." he replied. "And besides, who will be here to watch the dojo?"
"Kenshin's right." said Megumi. "We'll need to tell someone normal about this. We should probably tell Dr. Gensai."
"Ok, but who's going to tell him?" Sanosuke ruffled his feathers. "If we just go up to him like this, he's sure to panic!"
"I am the one who looks the most normal, that I am." Kenshin stood up. "When he sits on the porch, I'll talk through the shogi and tell him everything."
"Is that wise?" Kaoru blinked.
"It's all we can do for now, that it is." replied Kenshin. "Once Gensai-sensei understands, he can help us."
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This is Chapter 3. Where would you like to go next?
