A/N: Here's my first story. I hope you'll like it. Read and Review.
Remark: The random stuff: I don't own these characters they're Watsuki's, I do own the plot (although I'm inspired by so many other stories that I even can't mention them all, partly because there are so many and because I don't remember which).
'Live in the Light' (A/M pairing)
It had been two months since Aoshi and Misao had gotten married. Okina had decided that it would be for the best if Misao wanted to remain Okashira. He had told Aoshi the reasons and asked the man to marry his granddaughter. Aoshi had thought over it for two weeks before he finally gave in. Though he only would be her husband for formal purpose, he and Misao did have a wedding-night, but to Misao's disappointment she came to realise that there was no love or passion in their relationship. It broke her heart literally. The past two months the couple had been avoiding each other. The only time they were together was during the daily tea ceremonie and at night in their room.
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Misao rubbed her stomach as she had a nauseous feeling for the umpteenth time that week. Misao was no fool and knew what was wrong. She was pregnant. Even though she loved children, she was not exactly happy with her pregnancy. Not because she hated nausea – which she did eventually – but because she felt that this baby would be born in a non-existent relationship. She walked hurriedly through the streets of Kyoto to the clinic.
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"Next please," the doctor called.
Misao got on her feet and entered the examination room and sat down.
"So, tell me Miss, what's the problem?"
Misao took a deep sigh. "I think I'm pregnant."
"Aah, I already thought so from the moment you entered. You glow."
"Well I don't feel like am glowing," Misaos said dryly.
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"At the moment I can only confirm you're pregnant, but at this stage is to soon to say anything else about it. Return in about a month. We'll see how it develops then."
Misao stood and nodded. "Thank you," she said with a polite bow and then she left the clinic.
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'Oh Kami-sama, how am I supposed to tell this to Aoshi-sama?' Misao was deeply in thoughts when a scream reached her ears. She shook out of her trance and saw that a house had been lit to fire. The drought of the last weeks caused the wood to catch fire in a rapid speed. Without thinking what she was doing Misao ran into the burning building while she saw how people gathered around to house trying to dim the blaze. Misao ran through the house holding a handkerchief over her mouth against the smoke. She heard sobs from a corner and found a woman and her two children huddled together. She ran to them.
"Quickly, I'll get you out of here. Hurry!" she yelled as she took the small boy in her arms, while the woman was holding the baby. They ran to the exit. The woman and her baby were out. Misao was almost there as she heard the building collapsing. She shielded the boy with her own body as the entire building came down and everything became black.
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Aoshi was outside of the Aoiya as he saw how smoke covered the sky. He quickly ran into the direction of the smoke. As he arrived he saw how a woman with a baby in her arms ran out of the burning house. There were loud cracks and the house collapsed. The woman with her baby ran to the house screaming.
"Daisuke! Where are they!?"
"Hatsumi, they didn't come out," a man said with a pained expression.
Aoshi stepped forward and pushed some rubble aside and saw a hand that he knew too well.
"Misao!" he yelled as he prayed silently that she was alive. As he slowly lifted Misao out of the rubble together with the child she was holding close to her.
"A doctor quick!" he yelled.
The woman with her baby ran toward them. "Daisuke!" she said as she dropped on her knees next to Aoshi.
The small boy opened his eyes. Apart from some minor bruises and scratches he looked alright. Misao on the other hand had taken the full impact of the collapsing house. Aoshi freed the boy from Misao's grasp and put him on his feet.
"Are you alright?" he asked.
The boy nodded frightened and clasped his arms around his mother's legs.
"Is she going to be alright?" the woman asked.
"She'll live," he said as he saw how a doctor hurried over toward them.
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All her muscles felt heavy and her head ached. She slowly shifted her hand.
Suddenly she heard a voice. "Misao?" called Aoshi worriedly.
"A – Aoshi-sama?" she asked as she opened her eyes. Darkness surrounded her and she couldn't see a thing. She shot straight, but was blocked by Aoshi's hand. Misao trembled over whole her body and tears started erupting from her cerulean blue eyes.
"I – I can't – " she started, but was cut of by Aoshi, who placed her in his strong embrace.
"I know," he said softly. He took a deep breath. "I hoped that I wouldn't have to tell you this. The doctor said you suffer from a head trauma which has left you – Misao, I'm so sorry, if I only had arrived three minutes earlier."
Misao was shocked. "I'm blind!" she gasped in terror. A hand went subconsciously to her stomach.
This went not unnoticed by Aoshi. "The baby is fine."
Misao nodded her head understandingly. "Where am I?" she asked.
"At the Aoiya in our room."
Misao nodded again. "Could you leave me for a while, I want to be alone."
"Misao, I – "
"Please," came the forceful reply from Misao.
Aoshi rose and left the room.
Misao sobbed loudly.
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Aoshi sat in the yard meditating as he felt Okon approach him.
"Aoshi-san, how is she?" she asked.
"She wants to be alone," Aoshi plainly said.
"Please, Aoshi, go to her, tell her to eat. Be at her side, how long is this coldness going to last. She needs you right now, even if she doesn't want to admit it."
"What do you want me to do? How can I possibly help her?"
"Talk to her, take her for a walk, I don't know," Okon snapped.
"A walk? She can't see."
"Then you better start helping her so she can help herself," Okon said and she shoved him a bowl miso soup in his hands. "Go make yourself useful and bring this to her."
Aoshi watched how Okon walked away and slowly rose on his feet. 'What do you want me to do, Misao?' He walked upstairs to their room and entered again.
"Misao," he said carefully to let her know he was in the room. He walked over toward the futon and sat down. "Okon made you some soup."
"I'm not hungry."
"Please Misao, you have to eat."
"I told you, I'm not hungry!" Misao snapped. Her stomach gave a growl.
Aoshi raised his brow. 'Not hungry huh?' "Eat, Misao," he said as he put the bowl carefully in her hands.
Misao sighed and started to eat. Once her bowl was empty she handed it back to Aoshi.
"Thank you," she said. "Er – Aoshi-sama? Could you guide me to the bathroom?"
"Aa," he said as he got on his feet and offered Misao a hand. He led her through the corridor and down the stairs to the bathroom.
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Aoshi leaned against the doorpost, waiting for Misao to emerge from the bathroom. As she finally came out of the bathroom, she waited for Aoshi to bring her back to their room. As he made no move to do so she spoke.
"Aoshi-sama, can you bring me back?"
"We didn't even had the chance to celebrate."
"Celebrate what?" Misao asked.
"That you're pregnant. When I found you I immediately sensed for it's ki."
"You knew?!"
"Aa, I have known for two weeks. Though in the beginning I didn't know what the different ki that was surrounding you meant."
"I'm sorry I didn't tell you, though I only had confirmation right before I – "
Aoshi nodded understandingly as he guided her to the backyard of the Aoiya. They sat down on the porch and Aoshi saw how small tears erupted from Misao's eyes.
"Misao?"
"If I only had been a bit faster, I would – " she cried. "I don't want to live in darkness."
Aoshi put his arms around her and pulled her into his chest. "I won't let you live in darkness."
Misao sobbed in his chest.
"I'll help you to pull through, I'm here for you," he whispered in her ear and he kissed her forehead. "Why don't we go to the hot spring and take a relaxing bath," Aoshi suggested.
"Er ... alright."
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Misao tensed a moment as she stepped into the hot water. Suddenly she felt Aoshi's hands on her shoulder. Slowly he started to give her a massage going from her neck and shoulders to her lower back.
"Just relax," he whispered in her ear as he began to caress her neck.
"Aoshi," Misao moaned. She turned her head and he kissed her on her mouth. Long and passionate. Misao deepened the kiss as she threw her arms around his neck.
He pulled her in a close embrace. They sat there like that for a while.
"Aoshi?" Misao suddenly said.
"Aa?"
"Do you think I'll be able to fight like I used to?" she asked.
There was a short silence. "No," he answered plainly. "Though I think you'll fight again, just different than you used to. Not less good of course," he assured her as he lifted her chin and kissed her. "With the proper training, you'll move like no one does."
"Can you teach me?" Misao asked hopeful.
"Of course ... I'll do everything for my dear beloved Misao."
Misao blushed.
"Well, I think we've been gone long enough, it's already dark."
"It is?" Misao asked as she listened to the surroundings. She could hear the chirping of the crickets and other sounds that the evening brought. "Tell me, what you see."
"I see the most beautiful woman ever," Aoshi said dreamily.
"That's not what I meant," Misao said blushing.
"I know, I was just teasing, though I see a beautiful woman," he took a slow breath and looked around. "There are fireflies zooming around the spring, who lighten the small bushes and the threes that surround us." He looked up at the sky. "There are a couple of clouds up in the sky, but the stars are clearly visible as is the moon, in its last quarter." Aoshi rose with Misao in his arms. She shivered at the touch of the cold air. Aoshi took her yukata and held it out to her. She put it on and tied the obi-band. Aoshi did the same with his own yukata. He took his haori and put it around her shoulders.
"Thank you," she whispered as she pulled the haori close around her.
Aoshi smiled and put an arm around her as he led her back through the forest.
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A little while later they entered the Aoiya. Okina approached them.
"Misao, Aoshi, where have you been, we've been worried," he said.
"There's nothing to worry about us. We were enjoying a warm bath at the hot spring," Misao said.
"The both of you? Together?"
"What we do as a married couple is not of your concern," Aoshi said plainly.
"Hohoh (lecherous Okina-smile), so you do some things huh," Okina said sneaky, with a huge lecherous smile on his face. Luckily for him Misao couldn't see or she would have been even more angry.
"You old geezer!" Misao yelled.
Okon heard Misao's yell and came to see what was going on.
"Okina what have you said to make Misao so furious? Have you pressed the matter that you want great-grandchildren soon again? Okina I told you to drop it at the moment, it's not the time now!"
"Well you don't have to wait anymore! In about 7 months you'll have your great-grandchild, but I swear if you try to learn it perverted things I – "
"What did you just say, Misao?" Okina asked.
"That's wonderful!" Okon said happily as she hugged Misao. "At least we have some good news between al the sad."
"Let's celebrate tomorrow! I'll close the restaurant the entire day!" Okina said as he happily walked away to tell all the others the news.
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Misao was lying in the embrace of Aoshi. It was a warm summer-night. It had been a week since the accident. Aoshi looked around in the room when Misao suddenly stirred within his embrace. He stroke his right hand over her cheek.
"I don't want to open my eyes," she suddenly said. Aoshi remained silent. "Everytime I open my eyes I hope to see again."
Aoshi sighed. "I wish it were me instead of you," he admitted.
"Aoshi! How can you say such a thing?"
"I care about you Misao and I hate seeing you like this. But I'll swear I'll train you to be the best shinobi."
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"Trust on your hearing, Misao. You're trained as a ninja, so you'll hearing is above the average," Aoshi instructed. From the moment he started their training session he had been a stone cold teacher. Omasu had entered the dojo a while ago and had asked Aoshi if he wasn't a bit too harsh for his pregnant blind wife. But he just shot her a menacing look. "I'll treat her no different than I did before, I know this is the way she prefers, she doesn't want a special treatment. She wants to be able to deal with her defects as soon as possible. That's why I train her hard."
"Come on, Misao, get up!" Aoshi said sternly.
Misao stood shakingly on her legs and took a base defense position. He attacked, when he was right in front of her he ducked, avoiding her fists and punched her in her stomach, but before his fist made contact he stopped and straightened himself.
"You're not concentrated. If you want to protect your baby, start with protecting yourself. You knew where I was going to attack, but you did do nothing to counter the attack."
Misao sank on her knees, breathing heavily. "It's your baby too," she said pantingly.
Aoshi knelled down in front of her. "I'm well aware of it."
"I feel entirely useless," Misao said.
Aoshi put his arms around her. "You're not, I'm just a demanding tutor, perhaps a bit too demanding," he admitted, then he pulled out a package and laid it in front of her. "Come, let's have a bit of fun."
"What's this?" she asked as her hands felt over the package. She opened it and felt with her fingers. "Kunai?"
"Yes, take them and get into position," he instructed.
Misao nodded and took four kunai in each hand.
TBC ...
That's the first part.