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The cliffs surrounding the Echigo Sea were infamous. Not only were they perilous to climb, but there was also a cave that housed a magnificent blue dragon. He was known for many things. Most feared was his ferocity in battle: turning whole armies into piles of ash. Less insidiously, he was known for his horde... Where most dragons gathered great treasures, Kenshin was said to keep a horde of live rabbits.
It should be made clear, these rabbits were not food. On the contrary, no dragon would willingly part with any part of their horde, and so they were maintained. Their numbers occasionally increased to more than Kenshin could keep within his home, but they were then let free in the surrounding area. It is rare that any predators are foolish enough to venture into a dragon's territory, and the same could be said for hunters.
If they did decide to try their luck, they unsurprisingly weren't given a second chance.
In fact, most animals are not especially keen to stay in the land of a dragon, as they don't tend to differentiate where other creatures are in the food chain. The only thing a dragon tends to care about is that most everything is below them. Perhaps that was why, once summer morning, Kenshin was so surprised to hear birdsong waking him.
He was not particularly happy about the wake-up. As he heard the happy song, he gave a perturbed growl, huffing out smoke, making a few of the closer rabbits give a tiny cough. Kenshin looked down at his companions to make sure none of them were in pain or otherwise feeling any problems, and grunted finding that they were fine.
Being reassured that his horde was safe, he left the cave, only to find a small gold and blue bird, resting on a stone at the top of the cliff where his home was located. He hovered in midair, simply looking at the creature. They didn't appear bothered, and the lack of fear enraged the dragon, encouraging him to try to swallow them in one monstrous bite.
Try being the operative word.
To his dismay, as soon as the jaws snapped, he realized the bird flew away into the forest that lay just beyond the side of the cliffs. Kenshin was considering following, but recognized how ridiculous it was to chase a bird for such a small slight.
Instead, Kenshin returned to his horde and fell back asleep.
For several days, nothing out of the usual happened. Kenshin left to fight other creatures, only to return to care for his horde. After a little bit of time, though, he was once again woken up by a gentle happy song. Once again, he left his cave to snap at the bird, and once again, they flew away. At this point, Kenshin began to feel a whisper of interest. He couldn't tell if they were brave or foolish, but they were definitely intriguing. Even so, he returned to his other activities without much further thought.
Things were mostly the same after that. Every few days, Kenshin would hear the birdsong, and every few days, he would once again chase them away. Slowly, he became less and less irritated, and found he was beginning to even enjoy the playful repetitiveness of it.
Kenshin huffed, giving a slight keen. He was a mixture of despair and anger, wishing to attack Masamune straight out, but knowing that it would put his horde in danger. To him, his rabbit was not just one of many, but a piece of his soul.
He did not feel inclined to admit that he probably went too far when he had tried to goad Masamune into fighting by threatening his horde. Perhaps it was his fault, but he'd be damned before he admitted it.
That morning, when he heard the bird sing, instead of scaring them off, he closed his eyes, focusing on the sound. He was somewhat surprised to find it more soothing than he remembered hearing but a few days ago. He let the sound flow over him, reveling in them taking even the smallest bit of his anxiety away.
Once he heard the noise inch closer, he opened his eyes. He was surprised to see that the bird had actually entered his domain. They trotted closer and closer, until they were so close to his muzzle, that if he decided to grasp the creature in his jaws, it was unlikely the songbird could escape his clutches. Even so, he did not react. In the end, the bird hopped onto his nose, only to start singing, again.
Soothed, the great dragon closed his eyes, once again, to enter the realm of peace the bird provided...
Unfortunately, when Kenshin awoke, he found that his bird companion was gone, and not knowing why, he grumbled a bit at the revelation.
His grumbles turned into growls as he considered leaving the comfort of his cave to search for the missing creature. He was planning to do it when he remembered that for several weeks, the bird had shown up every morning at sunrise, and all he really needed to do was wait.
He left his horde for a time (having to fight his anxiety at someone, namely Masamune, returning) in search of a way to trap his "prey". Soon enough, he happened upon a traveling merchant who had thought he was far enough away from Kenshin's domain, not knowing the dragon was currently on a mission. After a bit of intimidation, Kenshin received a bamboo bird cage the merchant was selling.
After that, all he had to do was wait.
The next morning, Kenshin was already awake when he heard the soft chirping of his new treasure. He kept up the guise of being asleep as they inched closer and closer to him. Once they were finally within reach of his claws, he suddenly clasped the small creature, the claws interlocking in an imitation of a cell.
Quickly, he maneuvered to the cage, where he transferred his newest addition to the horde.
He was quite pleased with his achievement, and gazed at his prize in admiration. He closed his eyes and waited for his bird to sing to him, again.
However, the longer time went by in silence, the more clear it became that they had no intention to let him hear the song he had sought.
He growled and smoke engulfed Kenshin's lair.
"You would not stop making noise before, why are you silent, now?
Once again, he was answered with silence.
He huffed, getting irritated without knowing where to vent it. Finally, no longer finding rest, he left the cave, but but before leaving a warning. "When I get back, you better sing for me!"
Well... This could be a problem.
It's not like you couldn't get out, of course. The cage wasn't magic, just bamboo. If you had wanted, you could have escaped when Kenshin laughably decided to grab you. Honestly, you thought he knew what you were, but apparently not...
You were curious how this would play out, but you were obviously not going to sing while in captivity.
It seems I picked quite the difficult dragon...
Still, it wasn't like you weren't aware of it to some degree beforehand. His oddity was why you came to him. A fierce, fire-breathing monster who protects rabbits was just too intriguing to ignore.
You were brought out of your thoughts when a dragon came to the mouth of the cave... But this time it wasn't your dragon.
Just as he touched down, his eyes scanned the room before falling on you. He tilted his head slightly to the side.
"I'll admit that seeing one of your kind is a surprise, and in a cage no less."
You were far less prone to anger than your dragon, but even you had your pride. With a gust, you opened the door to your confinement and flew out into freedom, where you proceeded to change your form.
Sitting on a rock was you, but far more humanoid. You had talons instead of feet, and connected to where your long human-like arms meet your torso were your wings: deep blue with gold accents. Those feathers decorated your whole body, with your human face surrounded by blue, and a gold crown of feathers jutting from your head. You held both fierceness and majesty in your gaze, and you were a beautiful marriage between the masculine and feminine in one form. Your smile accentuated your razor sharp, needle-like teeth. Masamune could only guess whether it was a true smile or instead a warning. You felt no desire to disclose either way.
"I do not like what you're insinuating, and I'd suggest your business be stated promptly, so I can determine what I should do."
"No harm intended." He grinned with a slight nod of his head, his own teeth gleaming in the sunlight. "What you two decide to do as consenting adults is none of my business."
You scoff, but otherwise say nothing. It's obvious trying to refute the statement would just cement his belief, and it really wasn't his business, anyway.
"I swear to you, I only came to return this."
Masamune brought out his claw, which gently held something, which was soon to be revealed to be a rabbit.
"I wouldn't have taken it in the first place if Kenshin hadn't tried to take my own horde. I merely wished to give him a taste of what he tried to give me."
You sighed. "I would like to say I wouldn't believe Kenshin would do that, but I'd be lying. In any case, I appreciate you returning my dragon's horde, however he should be returning at any moment, so you should probably leave..."
He gave a respectful bow of his head. "As you wish. As interesting as you are, I have my own horde to return to, and she's probably getting hungry."
You smile to see the dragon so obviously in love. "As long as it isn't rabbit, it seems we're done here."
With that, Masamune took off from the cave. That left you with deciding what to do with your own problem dragon...
When Kenshin smelled Masamune as he returned to his horde, both his anxiety and rage raised to near catastrophic levels. Right after he had added you to his horde, his enemy who had stolen a piece before returns? He couldn't believe that would be a coincidence. This slight, however, would mean war!
He landed without his usual gentleness (something he did for the sake of his rabbits) and shook the cave. Most of his horde scattered, but he only was focused on the open cage in the middle. He felt a roar coming on before his bird landed gently on his muzzle.
Your song enveloped his whole being, taking all his anxiety and laying it on the ground next to him. He felt himself melt into the earth in satisfaction.
Slowly and gently, he cupped his claws around the little bird. It was comical how easily you, or really any bird, could escape. However, instead of flying away, you instead went silent.
The quiet spoke volumes, and after another moment of hesitation, he released you, letting you fly away...
It's not like you were planning to go far. You returned back to the rock you were on when Masamune came by. Like with Masamune, you changed form, much to your dragon's surprise. You were surprised that he even averted his eyes from you, though you weren't sure if it was due to shame or irritation that you weren't upfront about who you were.
"He only came by to return part of your horde. No need to get so in a huff."
Kenshin looked over to where the lost rabbit was getting reacquainted with his previous friends. "How long were you going to keep your identity a secret from me?"
"In all honesty, I figured you knew until you put me in the cage, and it wasn't like I was going to do you any favors when you degraded me by locking me up."
He finally looked directly at you. "You're right. I apologize."
"You've shown your character by learning from your mistake. It seems I've chosen my dragon well."
"And I finally know my horde is safe."
You smiled at each other at that. Two creatures, one monstrously immense, the other sleek and beautiful...
Both with rows upon rows of razor-sharp teeth.