PCharacters are not mine, comments are more than welcome./P
PA prologue to Of Paper cranes and promises and the whole shebang./P
P align=center/PB
P align=center When Paper Cranes Fly/P/B
P align=justifyHe heard her laugh somewhere below and heard her bounding towards his room. She stopped her onslaught and paused to rap timidly at his door./P
P align=justify"Aoshi-sama?" she whispered. He put away his books and faced the door./P
P align=justify"Enter." She looked at him shyly but not finding a hint of annoyance on his face, she came running towards him falling on his lap. She thrust her cupped palms to his face to disclose five cherries in her hand./P
P align=justify"I picked these for you!!" she squeaked. Aoshi looked at her braided head and began to pick the petals of cherry blossoms entwined in her hair. He stopped when he saw her frown./P
P align=justify"What?"/P
P align=justify"I picked these for you and had to fight off Hannya because he wanted some too but I wouldn't give him any coz they were for you and now you won't even eat it." She said in one breath as she put her arms down. Her little tantrum was cut short when a cherry pit hit her on the nose. She looked up and saw Aoshi chewing what she had brought and she smiled in satisfaction./P
P align=justifyAoshi had to hide his grimace as the acid form the cherry, a week short of becoming ripe, filled his mouth. She looked up at him expectantly and he sighed knowing full well he wouldn't be able to say no to her. He took another of those unbearably sour things in his mouth and began to chew as fast as he could. Trying in vain to minimize the damage on his taste buds. He finished all five and proceeded to spit out all the pits trying to hit her on the nose once more. Of course she blocked each one effortlessly./P
P align=justify"Thank you Misao it was good." He managed to say./P
P align=justify"Really? I could get you some more!" she started to head for the door./P
P align=justify"No stop!" he ordered catching a hold on her kimono, which sent her sprawling on the floor beside him./P
P align=justify"Owwww!" she pouted, he knew she wouldn't cry. She never cried./P
P align=justify"Let's just make paper cranes ok?" she smiled at his offer./P
P align=justify"Ok! I know how!!!" and she took one of the papers on the desk in front of him. Aoshi prudently set aside his papers knowing this will turn out messy. He looked at her furrowed head, concentrating on the right folds./P
P align=justify"Tada!!!" she smiled triumphantly. She held up her paper crane, or rather something that resembled a paper crane after being run over by a cart. "Oi! It doesn't look right." She frowned./P
P align=justify"Perhaps it is sick ne?" he smiled inwardly finding her look amusing./P
P align=justify"Lets make another one." He suggested. This time he helped her telling her where to fold and sometimes, most of the time, doing the folds himself./P
P align=justify"Ha! Perfect!" she laughed. "Wait! Wait! I'll show you something." She grabbed his brush and he had to wince at the black trail she left behind. Thank god I removed everything important./P
P align=justify"Look!" she held up the poor dilapidated paper crane. He looked at her childish strokes barely making out her misspelled name. "Hannya taught me how!" she said proudly. "It's my name see?"/P
P align=justify"Yes, I see."/P
P align=justify"I wrote it here so you would know that I made this one with you." /P
P align=justify"I wouldn't make paper cranes with anyone else but you Misao." She smiled at this. /P
P align=justify"Can I stay here with you?" /P
P align=justify"But all I'm gonna do is write some things it would be boring."/P
P align=justify"Don't care." She stated crawling onto his lap. /P
P align=justifyAoshi continued finishing his papers and found the weight of the child on his lap comforting rather than troublesome. Soon she began to nod her head and Aoshi knew she had had it for the day. He carried her to her room where he lay her on her futon. He tried to extricate his neck from her embrace. But he found that he couldn't for he didn't want to. They would leave her the next day and he could almost see her angry face when she wakes up to find them gone. But then he envisioned a crying Misao, her fists rubbing furiously at her eyes. Trying to stop the tears from coming, trying to stay strong and not cry as her okashira had ordered her long ago./P
P align=justify"Good night Aoshi-sama." She muttered in her sleep. He enveloped her in his arms.I When we meet again perhaps you would not know me, or perhaps it will be I that will not know you. So just for tonight little one, let me revel in your love one last time./I/P
P align=justifyHe would never admit it but he loved her more than anything in the world she made his life bearable, if only to see her smile. And as he listened to the soft thumping of her heart against her tiny chest he found himself falling asleep to her steady rhythm./P
P align=justifyIt was Hannya that woke him up./P
P align=justify"Hey okashira, we need to leave now if we plan to get to Edo by tomorrow."/P
P align=justify"Ok." He said rubbing the sleep from his eyes and blushing at being caught with the child in his arms. He looked at Hannya then at Misao. "Would you like to say goodbye to her?"/P
P align=justify"I'd rather not." he said leaving./P
P align=justifyAoshi looked at him, although his mask covered his face, his voice betrayed his emotions. No one loved Misao more than him and Hannya. None more than him. He sat up fixing himself when Okina entered. Some words passed between them. And he left. He passed his room and took the papers he had been preparing. Something caught his eye. The paper crane they had made was sitting on the table, he took it in his hand and placed it deep inside his kimono. I will return one day little Misao, to see you smile once more and to hear your heat beat again. Till then my heart will forever beat with yours. He promised as he fingered the paper crane against his chest. /P
P align=justifyHe rejoined his men outside and they began to set out./P
P align=justifyHe stopped and looked at the now darkened Aoiya. He had forgotten something but he couldn't place what it was./P
P align=justify"Boss?" Hannya asked stopping ahead of him./P
P align=justifyHe then remembered and smiled, careful lest the others might see him, and he whispered "Good night Misao." And he left, the darkness enveloping his farewell./P
P align=center~end~/P
P align=justifyAuthor's notes:/P
P align=justifyThe title again! Sorry I have a fetish for titles, anyhu this means when Aoshi left her and when she began to acknowledge Aoshi as the owner of her heart. /P
PA prologue to Of Paper cranes and promises and the whole shebang./P
P align=center/PB
P align=center When Paper Cranes Fly/P/B
P align=justifyHe heard her laugh somewhere below and heard her bounding towards his room. She stopped her onslaught and paused to rap timidly at his door./P
P align=justify"Aoshi-sama?" she whispered. He put away his books and faced the door./P
P align=justify"Enter." She looked at him shyly but not finding a hint of annoyance on his face, she came running towards him falling on his lap. She thrust her cupped palms to his face to disclose five cherries in her hand./P
P align=justify"I picked these for you!!" she squeaked. Aoshi looked at her braided head and began to pick the petals of cherry blossoms entwined in her hair. He stopped when he saw her frown./P
P align=justify"What?"/P
P align=justify"I picked these for you and had to fight off Hannya because he wanted some too but I wouldn't give him any coz they were for you and now you won't even eat it." She said in one breath as she put her arms down. Her little tantrum was cut short when a cherry pit hit her on the nose. She looked up and saw Aoshi chewing what she had brought and she smiled in satisfaction./P
P align=justifyAoshi had to hide his grimace as the acid form the cherry, a week short of becoming ripe, filled his mouth. She looked up at him expectantly and he sighed knowing full well he wouldn't be able to say no to her. He took another of those unbearably sour things in his mouth and began to chew as fast as he could. Trying in vain to minimize the damage on his taste buds. He finished all five and proceeded to spit out all the pits trying to hit her on the nose once more. Of course she blocked each one effortlessly./P
P align=justify"Thank you Misao it was good." He managed to say./P
P align=justify"Really? I could get you some more!" she started to head for the door./P
P align=justify"No stop!" he ordered catching a hold on her kimono, which sent her sprawling on the floor beside him./P
P align=justify"Owwww!" she pouted, he knew she wouldn't cry. She never cried./P
P align=justify"Let's just make paper cranes ok?" she smiled at his offer./P
P align=justify"Ok! I know how!!!" and she took one of the papers on the desk in front of him. Aoshi prudently set aside his papers knowing this will turn out messy. He looked at her furrowed head, concentrating on the right folds./P
P align=justify"Tada!!!" she smiled triumphantly. She held up her paper crane, or rather something that resembled a paper crane after being run over by a cart. "Oi! It doesn't look right." She frowned./P
P align=justify"Perhaps it is sick ne?" he smiled inwardly finding her look amusing./P
P align=justify"Lets make another one." He suggested. This time he helped her telling her where to fold and sometimes, most of the time, doing the folds himself./P
P align=justify"Ha! Perfect!" she laughed. "Wait! Wait! I'll show you something." She grabbed his brush and he had to wince at the black trail she left behind. Thank god I removed everything important./P
P align=justify"Look!" she held up the poor dilapidated paper crane. He looked at her childish strokes barely making out her misspelled name. "Hannya taught me how!" she said proudly. "It's my name see?"/P
P align=justify"Yes, I see."/P
P align=justify"I wrote it here so you would know that I made this one with you." /P
P align=justify"I wouldn't make paper cranes with anyone else but you Misao." She smiled at this. /P
P align=justify"Can I stay here with you?" /P
P align=justify"But all I'm gonna do is write some things it would be boring."/P
P align=justify"Don't care." She stated crawling onto his lap. /P
P align=justifyAoshi continued finishing his papers and found the weight of the child on his lap comforting rather than troublesome. Soon she began to nod her head and Aoshi knew she had had it for the day. He carried her to her room where he lay her on her futon. He tried to extricate his neck from her embrace. But he found that he couldn't for he didn't want to. They would leave her the next day and he could almost see her angry face when she wakes up to find them gone. But then he envisioned a crying Misao, her fists rubbing furiously at her eyes. Trying to stop the tears from coming, trying to stay strong and not cry as her okashira had ordered her long ago./P
P align=justify"Good night Aoshi-sama." She muttered in her sleep. He enveloped her in his arms.I When we meet again perhaps you would not know me, or perhaps it will be I that will not know you. So just for tonight little one, let me revel in your love one last time./I/P
P align=justifyHe would never admit it but he loved her more than anything in the world she made his life bearable, if only to see her smile. And as he listened to the soft thumping of her heart against her tiny chest he found himself falling asleep to her steady rhythm./P
P align=justifyIt was Hannya that woke him up./P
P align=justify"Hey okashira, we need to leave now if we plan to get to Edo by tomorrow."/P
P align=justify"Ok." He said rubbing the sleep from his eyes and blushing at being caught with the child in his arms. He looked at Hannya then at Misao. "Would you like to say goodbye to her?"/P
P align=justify"I'd rather not." he said leaving./P
P align=justifyAoshi looked at him, although his mask covered his face, his voice betrayed his emotions. No one loved Misao more than him and Hannya. None more than him. He sat up fixing himself when Okina entered. Some words passed between them. And he left. He passed his room and took the papers he had been preparing. Something caught his eye. The paper crane they had made was sitting on the table, he took it in his hand and placed it deep inside his kimono. I will return one day little Misao, to see you smile once more and to hear your heat beat again. Till then my heart will forever beat with yours. He promised as he fingered the paper crane against his chest. /P
P align=justifyHe rejoined his men outside and they began to set out./P
P align=justifyHe stopped and looked at the now darkened Aoiya. He had forgotten something but he couldn't place what it was./P
P align=justify"Boss?" Hannya asked stopping ahead of him./P
P align=justifyHe then remembered and smiled, careful lest the others might see him, and he whispered "Good night Misao." And he left, the darkness enveloping his farewell./P
P align=center~end~/P
P align=justifyAuthor's notes:/P
P align=justifyThe title again! Sorry I have a fetish for titles, anyhu this means when Aoshi left her and when she began to acknowledge Aoshi as the owner of her heart. /P