Disclaimer: I have no claims over any of the RK characters.
A/N: this was written with great anxiety because I fear the reception from ppl would be cold and harsh. I understand that Aoshi/Misao pairing is popular and well-loved. But this is how I view the relationship of the two. Please don't hate me.
also, just to make things really clear, those in italics are inner thoughts.
Misao carefully balanced the tray in one hand as she slid open the shouji. She took a quick peek at the man seated outside peacefully on the engawa. She bit her quavering lip. Could this be the last time I bring him tea? Iie. I hope not!
Aoshi stirred from where he sat. He was a trained shinobi after all, trained to sense any presence around him. Ninjas though were also trained to hide their presences; but this was the one thing Misao could not accomplish. She could never hide her ki from her Aoshi-sama.
"Yes Misao?"
Misao stepped out, still very careful not to let the food tray slip from her hands. "I brought you tea, Aoshi-sama," she said softly.
Aoshi has lessened his daily routine of meditating at a nearby temple. He has opted to simply sat by the engawa. Misao, in turn, missed her daily routine of bringing him tea or an umbrella if it was raining. Still, she was glad that Aoshi was spending more time at the Aoiya than before.
After handing him the cup of tea, she prepared to leave her Aoshi-sama to his meditation when he asked her to stay. It painted a smile on her face.
They sat there in a moment of silence. Misao was not being her usual self. Yes, she was not in the mood to blabber and chatter to her ever-tranquil Aoshi-sama. She was not in the mood to diverge silly jokes just so she can finally see a genuine smile on her Aoshi-sama's face, not the usual smirk or the rare curving of his lips. She was just contented to sit there in silence, breathing in the calmness of her okashira's presence.
Misao took a quick glance at him. Okashira, she said in her thoughts. No one knew she still regarded Aoshi-sama the okashira of the Oniwabanshuu even after proclaiming herself as the leader some years ago.
"Misao," Aoshi, for once, broke the silence between them.
"Yes, Aoshi-sama?"
"Do you remember the last time we all sat here together by the veranda? You and Beshimi were running around for Kami-sama knows what the reason was for. Still, you were all laughs and giggles. Do you remember that?"
Misao closed her eyes, replaying back the scene her Aoshi-sama had just described. Of course she remembered it. For always. That was the very last time all of them were together. That same day, the very night, Aoshi-sama and the others left Kyoto. Misao was sleeping peacefully unbeknownst to her it was her very last memory shared with Beshimi, Hyottoko, Shikijo and Hannya.
Misao smiled a sad smile. Tears were threatening to trickle down her cheeks. "Hai Aoshi-sama, I remember. I will always remember. Beshimi kept teasing me, saying I was already a lady that I can no longer catch up to his speed. I did catch up to him, only I bumped into Hyottoko. Hannya taught me this precise trick to throw a kunai at an opponent. Only, I hit Shikijo. Beshimi doubled in laughter at my failed attempt."
There was another moment of silence that passed between them.
"I don't think I have ever said this to you but I'm saying it now and for the last time. Misao, I am sorry for all the pain I have caused you. An innocent heart like yours doesn't deserve all those sufferings I had inflicted. I failed as your okashira to protect you from all possible harm."
Misao furiously shook her head. "Yet those decisions you made were for the best interests of Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko and Shikijo. You did not fail as Okashira to me, or to the Oniwabaan. Yes, you had inflicted pain to me. Those were personal Aoshi-sama. But you are only human. You are entitled to mistakes. And I am also human. I cannot always be shunned from pain and sufferings the world has to offer. What was important, Aoshi-sama, was you are here now with me. You have atoned for what you have done wrong."
A sincere smile was carved across her lovely face. Misao has grown up. She understood fully what her Aoshi-sama has gone through. She understood the reason that drove him to mere madness after losing his beloved comrades because they were protecting him.
"Are you happy Aoshi-sama? You know, with the wedding coming up and everything?" the question came out of nowhere.
"Aa, Misao, I am happy."
"I love you Aoshi-sama. You know that, right?"
Aoshi raised a brow questioningly. Misao has always been a blunt individual when it came to expressing her thoughts and feelings. "And I love you, Misao-chan" he glanced at her smiling face. She has truly grown up as a woman, as realization hit him. She was no longer the little girl he used to carry on his back while walking down the streets of Kyoto. She was no longer the little girl that was entrusted to his care when he was a mere fifteen-year-old boy.
Misao was now a woman of age, fit to marry any respectable and honourable man she so desired.
"Aoshi-sama, did you know that many assumed I was hurt upon learning of your upcoming marriage?"
"And why is that, Misao?"
"Kaoru-san once told me that she thought I love you. I said - I do - and she began telling me that the best way to love you would be to let you go. That, I don't understand, Aoshi-sama."
Aoshi nodded, immediately grasping what Himura's wife had meant. Misao, though already twenty-two years of age, was still sprouting innocence.
"Misao, I believe many who know us perceive a different kind of love between the two of us."
Misao was a smart woman. She smiled, as she understood what her Aoshi-sama said. "Ah, then I know now why Kaoru-san sympathized with me. She thought I love you as she loves Himura. But you have always been my oniichan!" she said as a matter-of-factly.
"There are different kinds of love but shared on the same degree, I suppose. I probably love you as much as Kaoru-san loves Himura. But this kind of love…" she was cut-off before she even finished her point.
"Is the kind of love between an older brother and a mischievous younger sister," Aoshi finished for her. "Yet a love, as cliché as it sounds, that can move mountains," he added.
Misao, unable to resist, threw her hands around Aoshi's body. Aoshi nearly spilled the contents of his tea on his yukata; plus, he nearly choked in surprise. "You deserve all this happiness, Aoshi-sama. Megumi-san is lucky to have you as a husband. You're strong, handsome, tall, quiet, and always calm. Plus, you're an Oniwabanshuu ninja!" she giggled. I'm sure Megumi-san has already put a smile on his face. Even if I haven't seen it, knowing he smiled is enough. Misao finally released her Aoshi-sama, who did not look miffed at being engulfed in such an embrace.
"I better go back to the kitchen or else I'd be in a lot of trouble with Omasu. She only gave me permission to leave when I said you require tea." She stood up, eyeing her Aoshi-sama thoughtfully.
As she turned to leave, Aoshi-sama asked the most obvious question.
"Misao, are you happy?"
You have finally found the inner peace you so long have craved. You have finally found the happiness in the form of a beautiful lady doctor. You are finally back here with me – for always. What more could I ask for?
"Hai, Aoshi-sama."
Though there is one thing that could make me genuinely happy. But it is too much to ask. I will still be patientand wait.
Aoshi stood up and offered a hand. Misao accepted it and looked up to him. Suddenly, warmness filled her entire body. She felt like she was floating yet her feet was stuck on the ground. She felt compelled to spread out her hands as if she was about to take flight. She felt jumping up to her Aoshi-niichan, pinching his cheeks then showering it with butterfly kisses. If this was genuine happiness, then it was the greatest feeling in the world.
For in that moment, her Aoshi-sama smiled to her the true smile he has carefully hidden from all else. This was the smile he reserved for his imouto – never to be seen by anyone. Yet Misao could paint it, describe it in haiku, and sing it in verse.
A/N2: yet another one-shot. i'm beginning to think this is what i'm just good at giving myself too much credit, eh? one-shots are all i'm CAPABLE of doing i think. sigh, sigh. i wish i have the talents and skills of those other writers whom had captured my heart! i hope this time i did not make any inaccurate account, heehee.