Author's Note: For Ruroken Week 2016, I wrote seven different AUs. I'll be releasing each one over the next few weeks. Depending on the responses/reviews, I'll decide which ones to continue and prioritize. (This does not mean I'll abandon the rest, just that they'll be tackled later.) Thanks in advance for reading!

On the morning of Takeda Kanryuu's trial, an armored car was locked away in the secret basement of the Aoiya headquarters.

Aoshi pocketed the keys, shuffling towards the elevator. After two long years, he finally had his revenge on the man who gunned down his four trusted advisors. The bittersweet verdict had been a lifetime sentence with no parole.

He stepped into the elevator and pressed the button for the topmost floor. He winced a little at the motion. Yesterday, his shoulder had been injured in a fight, and going to a hospital would have meant revealing his secret.

For the past months, he had spent his nights infiltrating the underground world of opium trade.

He should have stopped once Takeda was arrested, but there were more groups that would gladly continue the ugly cycle of crime. So, he didn't stop, driving his armored car through the slums for both protection and intimidation. Now that Takeda was behind bars, he had to divorce himself from that way of life. The first step was eliminating his transportation, regardless of how secure he felt when driving it.

The elevator gave a disruptive jolt and stopped too early. He frowned, as the doors slid apart and one person walked in to stand beside him.

Unfortunately, he knew this person all too well. She was wearing a sailor suit uniform, and her backpack was slung over her shoulder. Smacking gum between her lips, she smoothed her bangs out of her eyes, drawing attention to her turquoise nails. She looked like an innocent high school student.

She was also the reason why his shoulder ached.

Her braid swung forward as she beamed at him. "You're Shinomori Aoshi."

"…yes."

"Great! Can I talk to you real quick? Like, in your office?"

"I have no interest in what you're selling." He said automatically.

"Hey, I'm not selling anything. I even called to make sure it's okay, I even have a card to prove it. I'll be fast, so don't worry." At this, she grabbed his arm. Pain shot up to his shoulder and he gritted his teeth.

"Let go of me and I'll give you five minutes."

"Oh, sorry!" She released him but the triumphant smile on her face didn't seem apologetic.

He ignored the curious looks of his workers as they walked into his office. He closed the door and sat at his desk, while she gawked at the interior. He didn't understand her fascination; it was only a windowless room with paintings and furniture he didn't choose.

"Wow, this is so nice. But I guess I should have expected this. You're The Boss, aren't you?"

He stiffened for a moment, before pointing to the name plate in front of him. The gold was etched in 'Shinomori Aoshi, CEO'. "Ah, so you can read. If you have any questions, keep it short. I have a meeting in thirty minutes."

"Don't play dumb! It's me, Makimachi Misao!" She lowered her voice. "Also known as, Weasel Girl. And I wasn't referring to your day job, if you know what I mean."

"I do not."

She rolled her eyes. "Fine. We can do this the hard way." In the next second, she upended her backpack and spilled the contents on his desk. He stared in dismay at a rolled up newspaper, a boomerang, a brown shirt, and…a plastic bag containing the broken hilt of his kodachi. "You're lucky that I picked this up. It was a piece of cake to track down the manufacturer and who commissioned it."

Damn it.

He slowly stood. "What is it that you want? Money?" Of course, he had no intention of paying her off, but cash was good bait for someone like her. It would occupy her until he could investigate her further.

"Money would be nice." She conceded. "But I'd rather be your sidekick!"

He blinked. "What?"

"I helped you out last night! Remember that distraction I did?"

"And I was injured because of that distraction." He bit out, remembering the sudden smoke grenade that she had tossed upon her arrival. She had popped up in a weasel hoodie, and while she was quite agile, he had no desire to work with anyone else.

"Okay, I'm sorry about that, but if we coordinate, we'd be awesome together. So, what do you say?"

"Absolutely not."

"I've practiced martial arts since I was little and I know the area, so it's not like you have to babysit me."

"No."

"Come on, let me fight!" She picked up the newspaper and tapped at the front page. A black and white picture showed three blurry figures. One was carrying the masked hero Shinai, while the smallest appeared to be yelling something. "Look, Shinai has two sidekicks."

"Good for her."

"One of them is younger than me! He's probably not even in middle school!"

"That's irrelevant."

She straightened, her eyes narrowing. "You think I'm just a kid, don't you?"

"Yes, I do. You don't know the nature of crime, so go home and forget about it."

"How can I, when my friends live right in the middle of a turf war?"

"Then, you should know how bad it is."

"But my point is, it's not everyone in the slum." She said. "There are families out there; they're innocent. They don't need to live in fear of dealers giving their kids opium and of gunfire at every hour, just because the cartels are fighting. When The Boss showed up, it gave me and my friends some peace for once. I want to guard that peace, but I don't have enough presence for that. Maybe, I really don't know what I'm getting into, and what I'm telling you is that I'm okay with that. I'll learn and do whatever I can. So, please let me be your sidekick."

An hour ago, he would have dismissed her and said he was finished. Nevertheless, he didn't choose that life for appreciation. He even enjoyed it. He had found purpose in fighting criminals, while she had found purpose in keeping the area safe. Perhaps, she was still too innocent and didn't understand that her life would be at risk, but her conviction made up for her inexperience.

He sighed. "I leave here at ten p.m."

"Alright!" She jumped into the air, her braid flying. The smile on her face was so, so bright.

Silently, he decided that he had to drive the armored car. After all, he'd need to protect her as much as possible.