Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters in it. I just wish I did.
Author's note: New fic everyone! This takes place during the Kyoto arc. Misao has already met Kaoru and Yahiko, but Aoshi has not yet fought Okina in this fic. That's where it starts. Anyways, for those who don't know, Hengo is the goddess who lives in the moon. I use a reference to that myth in the story. Well, Lerone I hope this fic puts a smile on your face, and much thanks must go out to Kyouhi for all of her wonderful suggestions, many of which I used in this fic. Please read and review, flames and suggestions are very welcome! Enjoy!
Soujiro crouched silently in the darkness of the night on the roof of the Aoiya restaurant, overlooking the first floor bedroom of his target below. He was not used to ninja work such as this, but Shishio-san had chosen him to complete this job because he had never failed him in the past. However, sneaking into the headquarters of the Oniwabanshu and kidnapping his target was a more dangerous mission than most that he had previously completed.
Soujiro stood still as a statue while he stared down at the courtyard beneath him. Not a soul in sight he noted. Soujiro leapt down and ran across the courtyard towards the bedroom of his target in front of him, the soft grass beneath his sandaled feet silencing the sound of his footsteps. Once he reached the opposite wall, he pressed his back against it, taking refuge in the darkness next to his target's window. Soujiro silently sighed in relief and looked up at the moon, smiling at it. It was his only companion on this warm summer night, and it was proving to be a quite bothersome one since the moon had decided to be particularly bright tonight. Soujiro quietly turned his back from the moon and peered into the window which had been left open on this summer night. A pair of sheer, white curtains danced quietly in the warm summer breeze, reflecting the moonlight and concealing Soujiro's view. Soujiro took his hand off of the hilt of his sheathed nihontou and grasped the long white curtains, moving them away to the side so he could see in the room. As he moved the visual obstruction aside, the form of his target sleeping on the floor of her room on her tatami mat became evident to Soujiro. The bright moonlight shot past him as he cleared the curtain, illuminating the figure on the floor. She was beautiful, her long, black hair, unbraided, flowed down her back and over her shoulders as she slept quietly on her side facing him. Her skin was as pale as the white light of the moon which danced in the room, and her lips were parted slightly as she made quiet and slight breathing sounds as she slept peacefully. She was dressed only in a dark blue silk robe with a graceful crane outlined in gold colored fabric on the back of her robe. She had kicked her blankets off in her sleep in response to the warm summer heat, and they lay at her ankles, revealing her shapely firm legs. Soujiro was at a loss for words. He had never seen any creature so beautiful, not even Yumi-san on her best days was half as lovely. It was like he had stumbled upon Hengo, the moon goddess, in her sleep, and he was afraid if he awaked her she would suddenly disappear. She seemed quite different from the girl he had met before in the village when he had fought Himura-san. She had been so lively and animated as she cheered for her friend, but this was another side of her. She was so peaceful and delicate, so much more like a woman.
Soujiro crept through the window and into the room as he let go of the curtain. He stood silently over his target as he pondered how to wake her without startling her by his presence and causing her to scream. Well what ever he did he needed to hurry up before someone noticed that he was there. Quietly, Soujiro knelt down to the woman's side and watched her. Her chest moved up and down steadily with each even breath, and her eyes remained closed, concealing their blue depths. Soujiro reached over her slowly, making sure his sleeve did not brush against her cheek as he prepared to cover her mouth so she would not scream when he waked her. But before he could do so, he was interrupted by the sound of a wind chime singing in the night air. As she began to stir, Soujiro quickly slunk into a dark corner of the room, out of her obvious sight.
Misao sat up and rubbed her eyes sleepily as the warm breeze flowing into her room from the open window gently caressed her face. She was tired, having met and run into Kamiya Kaoru and Myoujin Yahiko while chasing after Himura-san in the streets of Kyoto that day. After hearing Kaoru-san's plight she had brought her to Himura-san. However, Kaoru-san had returned the favor by telling her about the deaths of her friends. It had broken her heart when she heard the words. And Aoshi-sama… Misao stood up and shook the thought of from her mind. She couldn't think about that now, she had other responsibilities now.
Misao stood up and tightened the sash around her waist that held her robe closed as she walked towards the window. It was a warm night, even for the summer. The only thing that made it bearable was the breeze that drifted through her window. Misao rested her hand against the outside edge of the open window and looked up at the stars and the moon in the sky. The light of the full moon danced in her eyes as she gazed at it dreamily. She wondered if he was looking at it too, thinking about her. Suddenly, however, the thought was snuffed from her mind by a hand that reached around from behind her and covered her mouth, while an arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her back into a body behind her. A faint gasp escaped her lips, but was muffled by the hand over her mouth. Her first reaction was to reach for her kunai, but then she realized they were in her Oniwabanshu uniform, and she was not wearing it. So instead she struggled, trying to swing at her unknown captor with her free arm, but he quickly grasped it with the hand that was wrapped around her waist and pinned it to her side, holding her firmly in place. Not giving up, Misao bit the hand that was covering her mouth and the hand recoiled quickly. But before a scream or one of her angry threats of death could escape her lips, she felt a firm tap on the back of her neck, causing her to lose consciousness. As her body slumped forward and just before she completely lost consciousness, she heard the frighteningly cheerful voice of her captor say, "Oyasumi nasai Misao-chan."