Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin.

The Best Day

"Take it back you liar!" Misao growled, curling her fingers into her palms and raising up her fists in preparation to attack. She was so ready to put Hannya's kempo lessons to the test.

"It's true!" Insisted the little boy who was standing before her.

He was just a commoner. A boy from the market whom she'd befriended on one of the days when she'd secretly snuck out of the Aoiya without any adult supervision. Friend or not, nobody was allowed to dishonour the name of her precious Oniwabanshu. He might have been a year or two older than she was, and probably half a head taller, but she could easily take him down.

The eight-year-old was about to lunge forward when she felt someone scoop her up by her waist in an effortless motion. Her heart sank as she realised that it was Aoshi who had grabbed her and not Hannya who would sometimes follow her through the market in one of his "old man" disguises. Hannya was a lot more forgiving when it came to her transgressions.

The young okashira ignored the boy, leaving him stunned on the ground. He made his way through the bustling streets, still carrying the now impossibly silent Misao over his shoulder. She contemplated how she was going to explain why she was out in the streets again when she wasn't supposed to be fraternising with outsiders.

After a few minutes of the silent treatment, Aoshi finally put her down to stand on her own. She looked up at him, holding her limp braid between her tiny hands, trying to look as remorseful as she could. It then occurred to her that her guardian wasn't in his usual shinobi gear. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that he was dressed like a commoner. In his deep blue hakama, the Okashira looked like a regular teenager and not like the leader of a ninja clan at all.

What surprised her even more came after this realisation, when Aoshi commanded her to follow him into the sweet shop. It was the one that Misao had always wanted to try ever since they had moved to Kyoto.

Something strange was definitely going on. First, Aoshi shows up instead of Hannya, and he was dressed like a commoner. He only ever dressed like that when he was going undercover, and he definitely didn't bring her on an undercover mission because she knew nothing of it. And what of the sweet shop? Surely not a reward for misbehaving? Or was he going to torture her by ordering all the desserts for himself, making her watch as he ate her favourites. What cruel and unusual punishment!

The shop girl greeted them enthusiastically before leading them to a booth, the whole time not being able to take her eyes off Aoshi. He was less intimidating when he wasn't dressed in his usual trench coat, or carrying his kodachi for that matter, but he was just as handsome.

"What can I get you today?" She chirped.

Misao looked worriedly at Aoshi, half-expecting him to fulfill one of her worst nightmares. Please don't make me watch you eat, she begged mentally. But he merely said, "Order whatever you like."

The little girl let out a breath of relief. It sounded like she was in the clear, but she wasn't about to get overly excited. She didn't want to presume to know what Aoshi was up to. He was incredibly unpredictable. It was one of his traits that she both admired and feared.

"Can I have the dango?" Misao asked quietly.

Aoshi nodded. "Two of that please," he told the shop girl.

"Of course," she said, before adding. "Aren't you a lucky little thing to have such a nice oniisan!"

Aoshi didn't correct her. It wasn't the first time a stranger had mistaken them for siblings. After all, they had the same bluish-black hair and while their eyes contained different shades, they were both blue.

When the shop girl walked off, Misao suddenly felt very vulnerable. Now there would be no witnesses should Aoshi decide to hit her. She had no idea why she thought that he would do that that. He had never hit her before, even when she misbehaved. Perhaps it was the strange gaze he was giving her, and she found it more difficult than usual to read him. It caused her to fidget uncomfortably in her seat. Eventually, she caved in and confessed to her wrongful actions.

"I'm really sorry Aoshi-sama! I didn't mean to start a fight. I mean, I did. But it was only because that boy said some really horrible things about the Oniwabanshu. He said we were all murderers who kill innocent people."

"And did you believe him?"

"No, of course not. That's why I wanted to knock his teeth out!" She exclaimed.

Aoshi didn't respond because the shop girl had returned just then with the plates of dango. She gave Aoshi a flirty smile, before shyly turning around to hide her blushing face. Misao noticed that the girl wasn't beautiful, but she was definitely pretty. She wondered if Aoshi thought the girl was pretty too, although it seemed unlikely that he would even care. After all, Misao could name several Oniwaban girls who were pretty, even more so now that they had moved to the Kyoto branch. There were certainly more female agents in headquarters than when they were back in Tokyo. But Aoshi had never once given them so much as a double take, despite the numerous hints of interest that they shot his way.

He had a lot on his mind, and girls were not on top on his list of priorities. No matter, it made her happy to know that she was the only girl that he paid attention to, even if she was just eight years old.

"Misao." The little girl's eyes shot up and thoughts of Aoshi's non-existent love life were interrupted by his quiet voice. The young leader paused momentarily in order for her to refocus her attention on him before continuing. "Do you like it here in Kyoto?"

Misao contemplated his question in silence. They had only been there a month, but she felt quite settled. It was definitely a different environment from when they were in Tokyo.

Back then, they moved around a lot, changing bases so as not to be discovered by certain over-zealous imperialists who hunted down anyone remotely pro-shogun. It wasn't something she could understand at the time, why Aoshi was incredibly strict about her never leaving their base without him or Hannya. Because of that, it was always boring whenever they left her behind to go on their rotations to defend Edo Castle. The other Oniwabanshu members didn't pay as much attention to or take her as seriously as her five friends did. They tolerated her out of respect for their previous Okashira and because the new one had commanded them to.

When the Meiji Restoration had been completed and the Oniwabanshu were no longer employed under the Shogunate, they moved to Kyoto. Everyone was much friendlier in her new home and there were many other Oniwabanshu children around. Nobody worried about her whereabouts in Kyoto, and she loved the freedom that came when their minds were at ease.

"I guess so. I've made a few new friends here, like Shiro and Kuro, and the other girls. Okina-sama is really funny too, and he gives me these hugs where I can't breathe." She told him after much thought.

"Then why do you keep leaving the Aoiya? You know you're not supposed to mix with outsiders."

Misao shrugged as she popped the sweet round ball into her mouth.

"I guess I just wanted to play with the other kids. I don't know anyone outside the Oniwabanshu and they looked like they were having a lot of fun," she mumbled, forgetting that she wasn't supposed to talk with her mouth full. She quickly gulped down the dessert and waited for Aoshi to reprimand her. But it didn't come.

Aoshi didn't seem to mind. In fact, he appeared to be giving her one free pass after another today.

"Do you want to be like other children?" He asked in his usual quiet manner. This time though, his tone was more gentle than commanding.

"No…yes… well, maybe. I don't know. I never thought about it," Misao replied, shrugging again.

Aoshi's questions ended there, but his unusual behaviour didn't. Instead of returning to the Aoiya when they were finished with their desserts, he walked around the market place with Misao, patiently stopping at every stall that drew her fancy.

As the day came to an end and the shops in market place were about to close, Misao made one final request. She wanted to play at the Kingyo stall. It was the last one, she told him. She thought he might be opposed to the idea and was pleasantly surprised when he agreed with little need of convincing.

He leaned against the wooden pillar that held up the stall and watched as the little girl picked up her net excitedly, her eyes as bright as the stars. She let out a loud squeal every time the fishes got away from her.

"Aoshi-sama!" She cried out in disappointment when she wasn't able to catch a single fish.

The young Okashira walked over to her and bent down so that his head was just above hers. He took her hand gently in his, making sure that she wasn't holding onto the net too tightly. Then, in one swift motion, he guided her wrist to make a winning scoop.

Misao let out an uninhibited sound, somewhat crossed between a laugh and a yelp. Without thinking, she dropped the net and fish back in the water as she turned around and threw her arms around him, hugging him with all her might.

"I love you!" She shrieked delightfully.

She didn't wait for him to respond. Quickly, she let go of him and ran over to the stall owner to declare that they had caught the fish. She was then handed a small bowl of water that contained their swimming prize.

Her words caught him off-guard. She was probably the only girl who would be bold enough to say that to him. Of course it wasn't romantic love that she meant, and she didn't expect him to say it back to her. It was innocent and unconditional, and made his heart stir. Why did she have to make it so difficult to let her go and walk away?

Their journey back to the Aoiya was much less eventful as the little girl could hardly hide her exhaustion. Unable to keep up with his pace, he knew he had to carry her back. As he picked her up, she wrapped her arms and legs around him and rested her cheek on his shoulder so she could still peer over at the bowl in her hand. She watched the fish swim round and round with her sleepy eyes, stuck somewhere between a daze and a daydream, thinking of how she just had the best day.

By the time they reached to the inn, she could hardly keep her eyes open. Okina took the little girl from Aoshi, freeing him to return to his room to switch into his shinobi gear. After changing, he secured his kodachi to his side and donned his coat before making his way back to Misao's room.

She was fast asleep by the time he got there. The others had already said their silent goodbyes to her and were waiting for him outside. It was probably better that way.

Okina was kneeling beside the sleeping child, a concerned look on his aged face.

"Are you sure about this, Aoshi?" The old man asked.

He could see there was sadness and uncertainty in the eyes of his previous ward. Of course Aoshi's role as their leader only allowed for such emotion to appear periodically. In a blink, whatever sorrow Okina thought he saw disappeared.

"It's better if she forgets about us. It's the only way for her to have a normal life." Aoshi said.

Okina nodded, before whispering to the sleeping child, "Misao, your Aoshi is leaving now."

-FIN-