Stranger in the Shadows:
Chapter 1
By: Koori Youkai
A girl lay in bed one night, and thought about all she was. She thought about how she longed to show her talents to the world, her writing, her unbelievable ability with a sword; she thought about how she missed her father, and about how she would never see him again. Because she had been a coward, and run away from all she feared. That was so long ago. Yet it seemed like it was only yesterday... Roxanna, an approximately 600-year-old fox-like demon sat up in her bed, and stared out the window of her lonely treehouse in the middle of a forest. She thought about how she had no friends... but then she remembered! I do have one friend! she thought, Sesshoumaru! Oh, how I miss him... She continued to stare out the window, when she heard her black-and-white stallion, Rocket, whinnying outside, and she decided to get up and check on him. She checked her clock; it was 2:37 am. She yawned, not tired until she saw the time, and walked outside to Rocket.
She patted his muzzle, and tried to calm him down. He kept looking into the thicker part of their forest worriedly, like there was something in there that made him feel uncomfortable. Then Roxanna remembered: the military was looking for her. They had been for three years. She found that out when Sesshoumaru had saved her from a soldier once. She had also recently figured out why they wanted her, they wanted to rid the forest of her because a nearby village felt threatened by her. Probably because she had become so vicious from being alone for so long, she always seemed to long for bloodshed lately. But she couldn't figure out why… perhaps she was still upset about the time she saw Reane (Sesshoumaru's girlfriend) kiss him. Roxanna decided to search the woods for any soldiers from the military.
So she sneaked back into her treehouse and thought for a few moments. She found a big, baggy cloak (to hide the more obvious details that show she's a girl, and also to cover up her face). She tucked all of her red hair up into the hood. Rocket came to her window, and she looked down and whispered to him, "Well, what do you think? Could I pass for a boy?" and Rocket whinnied happily. Roxanna grinned and ran out of her room, and picked her sword and belt off of the table outside her bedroom. She hurriedly put the belt on, and shoved her sword into its sheath. Then she ran outside and mounted Rocket.
Soon Roxanna and Rocket were in the forest. Roxanna ran her fingers through her trembling stallion's mane, for his comfort or her own, she was not sure. She kept reaching for her sword's hilt with every little sound she heard. Then she sat bolt upright, making Rocket jump with her sudden movement. She smelled a familiar smell. Blood! she thought, her heart starting to race, Someone is hurt! Roxanna got off Rocket quietly, and tied him to a tree with a rope. She definitely didn't want him getting hurt. She followed her nose towards the smell, but she began to feel sick.
Then, something stabbed her in the back. She yelped with pain, and fell to her knees. "Now, what's a young man like to doing in the woods at a time like this?" asked a man, and Roxanna rolled around to see a large man in a camouflage outfit. He kicked her, making her curl up over the side he kicked. But Roxanna suddenly stood up, startling the soldier. "Wouldn't you like to know?" she asked in a deep voice, trying not to sound like a girl (and doing a pretty good job). "It's none of your business. What about you? What are YOU looking for in these woods?" "I'm looking for a fox girl, about your height, with green eyes just like yours," said the soldier, cracking his knuckles. Roxanna pulled her hood up a little more, hiding her eyes. "What would you want with a fox girl, huh?" she asked. "She needs to be killed, the people in this nearby village do a lot of worryin' over her, vicious little creature." Roxanna made a fist, and said in a low voice, "Get out of these woods. Now." "I'd like to see you try and make me," said the soldier, crossing his massive arms across his chest. "Fine," said Roxanna, feeling totally calm, "I will, then."
She yanked out her sword, and aimed it at the soldier's throat. His hands shot up into the air, and he said in a shaky, frightened voice, "I-I'm sorry! I didn't know you were armed!" "You should be sorry," she said, sheathing her sword again, but never taking her eyes off him. "Get! Before I change my mind about not killing you!" she yelled, but instead of running, the soldier lunged for Roxanna and pulled back her hood, revealing not a boy, but a fox girl, with long red hair and red fox ears. Then he took out his gun and aimed it at her head. "Nighty-night, foxy!" he said in a tiny voice, and he pulled the trigger. Thinking fast, Roxanna pulled out her sword as quick as lightning and held it in front of her face. The soldier's bullet hit the edge of her sword, and when it did, it was sliced in half. The soldier then dropped his gun, and took a step back. "Unbelievable," he said, an evil smile crossing his face. He was obviously afraid, though, for sweat popped out onto his head when Roxanna's sword sliced his bullet. Even Roxanna was absolutely shocked at what her sword had just done; it was impossible! "Will you get out now?" she asked the soldier, but when she looked up from sheathing her sword, he was already gone. Coward... thought Roxanna, and she untied Rocket and mounted him, and followed her nose towards the smell of blood again.
The smell got stronger and stronger, and Roxanna began to see large pools of blood on the ground. She looked Heavenward, and said, "Please don't let anyone be too hurt." Some of the good left in her was starting to shine through her vicious side, finally. She heard a yell and there was a blindingly bright light to her left. She got off Rocket and, shielding her eyes from the light, she walked towards it. The yell finally stopped, and the light disappeared. There, covered in blood and leaning against a tree, was a man with long brown hair. "Who are you?" asked Roxanna in her deep voice. But he didn't answer. Roxanna got right up in his face, and asked again, "Are you OK? Do you need any help?" There was a long silence, but suddenly he looked up, making Roxanna jump. "I'm fine," he said. "You lie," said Roxanna, pulling out a scarf and handing it to him. "Wipe some of the blood off of your face so that I can see you properly," she said. She gazed at him. Only one of his eyes was visible; the other one was hidden underneath the brown hair that fell in front of his face. The eye that was visible was a deep, dark blue. "I saw some of the fight you had with that soldier," said the man, "I don't know how on Earth you pulled that move off. Only someone like Kenshin Himura, you know, the legendary Batousai the Man-Slayer, could do that." "He wasn't 'Batousai the Man-Slayer'..." Roxanna said, still using her boy-voice. "He was a wanderer... just a wanderer." "Well, you seem to know a lot about him, don't you?" said the man, who was still wiping blood off of his face. Then a lock of Roxanna's red hair fell out of her hood, and the man's eyes widened. "Wow! You and him have a lot in common! Red hair, amazing fighter..." All of a sudden, the odd-eyed man jerked his head up, and stared into Roxanna's eyes for a few moments.
He finally laughed, and said, "You know... you fought sort of like a girl when you fought that soldier earlier." "I BEG YOUR PARDON??" demanded Roxanna, "WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?" The man shrugged, and said calmly, "You fought swiftly, like a fox. I was just pointing that out." Roxanna's jaw dropped open. He sees right through me... but how? "Come on, take your hood off, Roxanna. I know it's you." Roxanna stared at him for a moment, totally clueless to how this man could have possibly known who she was under her disguise. "Who are you?" Roxanna demanded as she pulled off her hood. Ignoring her question, the man burst out, "ROXANNA! I KNEW IT WAS YOU!" This made Roxanna jump, and stare. "Who are you???" she demanded again, but the man just ran up to her and hugged her so hard it was like he was squeezing a tube of toothpaste. Roxanna shoved him away and drew out her sword. "Get… away…" "Roxanna! It's me, Tsunmiaro!" At that moment, Roxanna got a vision:
She was running through the forest where she used to live, in her demon form, a fox. The year was 1795. She had taken the form of a young fox, so she was very small. She was getting thirsty, and stopped at a pond for a drink of water. She lapped up some cool water, and licked her lips. Then she heard in a tiny voice, "Here, kitty kitty kitty! Come here!" She looked up, and there was a little boy, no older than six years, bending down to pet her. She ran up to him, and he pet her gently. Then, much to the little boy's shock, Roxanna changed out of her demon form and into the form of a small human girl. The little boy's jaw fell open, but he didn't run. The young Roxanna squeaked, "Hi! My name is Woxanna. What's yours?" "Hi, Roxanna!" said the boy, "My name is Tsunmiaro!"
Roxanna shook her head. The vision was gone. Suddenly she gasped. "Tsu-Tsunmiaro!!!!!" Tsunmiaro grinned and nodded. "You had forgotten me for a moment, hadn't you!" "Yes…" she said, dropping her boy voice and speaking in her usual purring, husky voice that made Tsunmiaro's eyes widen. "You used to be my best friend, hundreds of years ago. That must mean you are a demon as well, if you can live that long, just as I can." Tsunmiaro nodded and lifted up the hair that fell in front of his handsome face, revealing a violet jewel in the middle of his forehead, and also revealing his other eye; a light green one that seemed to glow in the darkness. "This is what I got when I became part demon," he said, putting his hair back down. You see, I have great amounts of magic, and I had to have a teacher teach me how to control it. When I turned thirteen, my teacher said he could teach me no more unless I took some part of a demon inside myself. So, of course, I did, because I loved my magic so much. My teacher performed the ceremony, and then I was part demon, with the mark to prove it." He pointed to the jewel in the middle of his forehead.
He continued, "I used to live out in the city." Roxanna had been watching him the whole time he was speaking: she watched the way that he walked, she listened to his soft, deep voice… she noted the way he shook his head to shake some of the hair away from his eyes… she was already captivated by him. "If you used to live out in the city…" she began, never taking her eyes away from his, "than why are you out here, in the middle of the forest?" "I am out here because… because…" Suddenly he looked very hurt. The violet jewel on his head suddenly turned dark blue. "When my mother found out that I'd become part demon, she told me that I'd sold my soul to the Devil, and kicked me out of the house." Roxanna watched a tear roll down Tsunmiaro's cheek. "Don't cry…" she said softly, "I know what it feels like to be hurt." She remembered seeing Sesshoumaru with Reane, and clenched her fists. "I know how it feels to be rejected, to have a broken heart, to know that someone you love loves someone else." She looked down to try and hide her tears, and Tsunmiaro took her hand. Now it was his turn to be captivated: he was as soon as he saw Roxanna and heard her voice, and saw her eyes… Right there and then, Tsunmiaro wanted to be hers.
"Now, who would want to break the heart of such a darling, beautiful woman?" To hide his emotions, Tsunmiaro pretended to fuss with a strand of his hair that fell in front of his eyes. Now the jewel on his forehead turned scarlet… as well as his cheeks. Roxanna sighed. "Sesshoumaru…" Tsunmiaro flinched at Sesshoumaru's name, and wanted to make the Sign Against Evil, but he dare not let go of Roxanna's hand. "There are plenty more fish in the sea, Roxanna," said Tsunmiaro, in an oddly hoarse voice. Roxanna looked up and met his eyes; that was the problem, right there. She couldn't look away. There was complete silence for a few moments, except for the sound of Tsunmiaro stepping closer to Roxanna. Seeing this movement, Roxanna pulled away, and sharply asked, "Do you know anywhere I can hide? You know, from the people who are after me?" "Yes, I do. Why don't you just follow me; I'll take care of you now."
"Why are you injured, anyway?" asked Roxanna as they walked to Tsunmiaro's place, remembering the blood that was all over his face. "Oh, that," he said, scratching his head. "Well, I could sense you coming. That is a power my magic gives me. I tried to perform a spell that would let me See you, but I failed. The whole experiment blew up in my face, literally, and that's when you came along." Roxanna raised her eyebrows. "Ouch," was all she said. "It wasn't that bad," said Tsunmiaro. "I've had much bigger explosions blow up in my face than that!" Roxanna laughed, and Tsunmiaro put his arm around her shoulders. Roxanna shifted uncomfortably a little, but settled down.
They finally arrived at what Tsunmiaro called home, but to Roxanna, it looked like a mound of dirt. Reading Roxanna's mind, Tsunmiaro said, "Ah, It may look like a mound of dirt now, but when you do this…" He brought the pile or dirt up into the air with one swift movement of his wrist, and motioned for Roxanna to climb down a ladder that lead down into a hole. She obeyed, and was pleasantly surprised by what she found down that hole. It wasn't damp and wet like Roxanna expected it to be, but it was a clean and tidy room, with a table in the center, and also a bed, a bedroll, a computer, a lamp, and a tub. But there was one more thing… a big white ball of something sitting on Tsunmiaro's bed. Tsunmiaro covered the hole again with the mound of dirt, and climbed down the ladder. "Wake up, Comet! Our long anticipated visitor has finally arrived!" The thing didn't move. Tsunmiaro shook his head and strode over to the big white lump. He motioned for Roxanna to be quiet, and to try not to laugh. He took a deep breath, and was just about to yell the thing awake, when swift as lightning, it spun around and slapped a paw over Tsunmiaro's mouth. It seemed to be some sort of huge white cat, like a lion, with wings on its back! But the madness didn't stop there! Tsunmiaro sighed and stood up. "Man! I almost got you that time, Comet!" he said with another sigh. The cat meowed something, but it was something Roxanna and Tsunmiaro could understand, like it was speaking to them. He said, "Tsunmiaro. Do you really think I trust you enough to think you wouldn't pull the 'Unsuspected Wake-Up Call' on me again?" Roxanna squealed, and slapped her hand over her mouth! "Ack! That thing just talked!!! It talked!!! Did you hear it???" Tsunmiaro just laughed, and walked over to Comet and pet him. "Yes, of course I heard it! And why do you think you and I can understand him?" Roxanna shrugged, and he said, "Because… if you recall, I have loads of magic." Roxanna shrugged again, and sat down on Tsunmiaro's bed next to Comet, and started to gently stroke his head. He purred and nudged Roxanna's hand affectionately, and Roxanna asked Tsunmiaro, "Yes, so you have lots of magic, but what does that have to do with me? How did I get the power to understand Comet?" Comet purred louder and louder, and rolled onto his back so Roxanna could rub his tummy. He fluttered his wings happily. Tsunmiaro rolled his eyes at his pet's act of loss of his dignity, and replied, "Hello? Roxanna, anyone home in there? I gave you the power! I've given you tons of powers!" Roxanna rolled her eyes. "Oh, well, excuse me for being so stupid." Comet sat bolt upright, and swatted at Tsunmiaro. As he swatted, he yowled, "Hey! Be nice to her! She's not stupid, she's a lot nicer than you!" Tsunmiaro's jaw dropped, and he said to Comet, "I know she's not stupid, you overgrown house pet! I was just about to tell her that!" "I am not a house pet!!!" hissed Comet. Then Roxanna purred to the both of them, "Now now, gentlemen, I've only been here for not even five minutes, and there are already two men fighting over me? Is that any way to treat a guest?" Tsunmiaro grinned broadly, and strode over to Roxanna and sat on the bed with her. His demon jewel turning bright red again. Oh yes, I definitely like her! he thought as he set up the bedroll on the floor for Roxanna to sleep in. He would sleep in his bed. Comet would sleep anywhere he wanted.
Later that night, when both Comet and Tsunmiaro were sleeping, Roxanna lay awake in her bedroll and thought about Tsunmiaro. Wonderful! Just… amazing. He's so… something. I don't know. I must not be used to men. She yawned and turned over. What about that jewel on his head? I've been trying to figure it out. I guess it's like a mood ring: It's blue when he's sad, green when he's happy, violet when he's nervous or worried and… she grinned, scarlet when he's flirting. Well, at least I know my stay here, be it a very long and boring one, will be at least a little fun and interesting. She sighed and rolled over again, and fell fast asleep looking at Tsunmiaro.
Chapter 2
