A/N: Konnichiwa minna-san! This is Hoshi with another story. I promise that this story will be much better than My Life in Song fic. (shakes head at the memory) Honestly! What was I thinking when I wrote that? Anyways, I apologize deeply if anyone seems OOC, and if you see any mistakes then can you please tell me? Okay I'm blabbing now so here's the story and I hope you like it. Happy reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin in any way, shape, or form. That right goes to the honorable genius that is Nobuhiro Watsuki. I only wish to be half as good as him one day.

Not My Cup of Tea

Chapter 1: Okashira Abduction

Written by: Hoshiko Shinomori

-o-o-o-o-o-

The darkness brings out people's hidden feelings

Fear, pain, sadness, loneliness and…love

All is an illusion

Do you hear my heart call out to you?

Do you hear me?

Hold me tight and never let me go

Before it is too late and I am…gone

-o-o-o-o-o-

It was a dark moonless night in the city of Kyoto. All the streets were empty except for a few souls doing last minute errands or rushing home to their warm beds. A lone girl was among those people. She stood together and yet apart from the diminishing crowd and more than a few heads turned her way before scurrying off. She, however, didn't notice any of this. It was the perfect setting for an assassination; and had it not been the Meiji Era, a time of peace and reconstruction, or if she was not preoccupied, she might have taken note of this and been a little worried. Any other girl would have been afraid to be out alone in the dead of night, but not her. She was the okashira for a great ninja clan, the Oniwaban-shuu. Besides, she had one thing in mind that currently filled up all her thoughts; her Aoshi-sama. That and tea.

I hope Aoshi-sama likes this kind. The man at the market said it was the freshest bunch there. But man was it expensive! And my feet are sore! Why the heck did I decide to go halfway across the city for tea?…Oh yeah, that's right, I HAD to make sure I had nothing but the best. Misao no baka! That's what you get for thinking with your heart instead of your head! Oh well, it will all be worth it when you see that surprised yet pleased look on his face. …What are you thinking Misao? Aoshi-sama never changes his expression, at least not noticeably.

Misao wasn't the only one thinking hard that night. Unbeknownst to her, shadowy plots were being hatched that would directly affect her.

"Oi, is that the girl?" asked a rough voice belonging to a tall lanky figure.

"Yes," replied a calm, collected voice; unusually colored eyes glowing eerily in the darkness.

"Are we really going to go through with this? She'll just get hurt in the process."

"She'll get hurt even more if we leave things the way they are. It must be done," answered a third voice, as a young boy joined them. Both men looked up at the source of the sound. All was deathly quiet. "Prepare yourselves gentlemen, the hour draws near. You know what to do."

A sudden gush of wind passed close by Misao causing an involuntary shudder and finally making her look up from her musings. The streets were now completely deserted and the darkness reigned supreme.

That time already? I better hurry back before chaos breaks loose at the Aoiya. Then again, knowing Okon, Omasu, and that dirty old pervert, it probably already has. I just hope that Shiro and Kuro have enough common sense to keep them out of trouble. On the other hand, they never have been able to stop those three before…Oh god! The Aoiya could be in trouble!

With that last horrifying thought Misao took off jogging, her long braid bobbing behind her. After a while Misao got the strange sensation that she was being watched, so she stopped running, hoping to hear something or rather someone. She took a scrutinizing look at her surroundings, paying very close attention to any possible hiding place, all the while masking her movements with false tiredness. She was a ninja after all and it wouldn't do to let the enemy know that you were on to them. At first there was nothing, and then out of the corner of her eye she saw movement in the shadows. She quickly reached for her kunai and threw them in that direction with expert precision. She was answered with a resounding clang of metal on stone and a soft clatter of them hitting the ground. She had missed her target! How could one human being move so fast? Instantly there was a rush of air on her right side and the arm that was still held up after the throw was instantly captured in a strong grip behind her.

"You should be careful with those toys. Someone could get hurt," came the cool arrogant voice of the cloaked, amber-eyed attacker; his hot breath blowing on her neck and making her hair stand on end. The hilt of his katana was digging into her back making her a little bit more than nervous. In fact, she was downright frightened! Only her pride kept her from trembling right then and there. She would not allow the attacker to know he had her scared and therefore give him an advantage.

She immediately shifted her weight, pivoted, and attempted to kick her assailant straight in the jaw only to have her foot caught by a second taller hooded figure. All she could see of him was a few loose bangs covering his face and a smirk on his face that clearly said he had the upper hand. She wanted nothing more than to wipe that smug look off his face and so she used her remaining free hand to elbow him in the stomach with as much force as she could given her current body position. He quickly dropped his hold on her and doubled over in pain, clutching at his abdomen. Then she swiftly kicked him in the groin.

Not losing a moment, Misao quickly crouched down and swung her leg in an arc trying to trip the shorter man. He nimbly jumped over her futile attempt at hitting him and landed a few spaces away. Unfortunately for him, this meant that Misao was now free of his grip and therefore free to attack at will. Not one to waste an opportunity, Misao immediately focused all of her attention and energy on the shorter of the two men.

Hmm…he's fast, extremely fast, so running away isn't an option, but I wonder how strong he is? Maybe I can knock him out and get the heck away from here. Yeah! That sounds like a plan. Misao, you are such a genius! Okay, if this is going to work I better start off with something big.

Misao ran head on towards her opponent. At the last second she leapt in the air and brought her foot down for a kick. "BIRD-KICK OF RAGE!"

The amber-eyed man merely stood still watching all of her movements. It was stupid of her to rush forward like that. If he wanted, he could have already knocked her out. Not only that, but attacks like that are easy to counter. She telegraphs all of her moves and her ki was like an open book, giving him all the information he needed regarding her intentions. In other words, she fights like a complete amateur. When Misao jumped up for a kick, the swordsman easily sidestepped her attack.

"You'll have to do better than that if you wish to win," he calmly stated.

Misao immediately whirled around and with a flick of her wrist sent four kunai flying in his direction. Afterwards, she could only watch in amazement as the hooded stranger weaved in and out, dodging all the projectiles. Then slowly, as if all time had stopped, she watched as a small line of red formed on the man's cheek and a few drops of blood trickled down his face. One of her weapons had managed to graze the man! She was about to throw some more when a loud groaning from behind stopped her. Quickly she spun around to find the source of the noise.

Uh-oh…this is bad. Real bad. The second guy is getting up! What am I going to do? I might have been able to handle one man, but two?

"Ungh…What'd you do that for! Do you have any idea how much that hurts!" he yelled as he lunged forward attempting to grab the lithe girl.

"No. I don't," Misao said apathetically before she nimbly flipped over his head then ducked and rolled just in time to avoid a sword swing from the other man.

While her life may have been spared her hair was not. The swordsman had been just fast enough to catch the end of her braid, thus cutting off her hair tie and a good inch of her hair. Misao sank to the ground, her braid slowly unraveling itself and her dark locks splaying around her. She stared wide-eyed at the hair now on the ground and her breath came in ragged little gasps now. If she had been even one second slower, that would have been her head on the ground instead of her hair. She shuddered at the thought and unconsciously hugged herself tighter as if assuring herself that she was still alive. Then she watched warily through half lidded eyes as the two men approached her.

"Good, it seems that she has calmed down a bit," commented the amber-eyed man.

"Hey missy!" the taller man called out to her, "are you going to come quietly with us or do I have to drag you? I can tell you right now that the second option won't be pleasant."

Misao silently regarded her choices. She knew that she was fighting a losing battle. She was already out of breath and tired from all the fighting, whereas her two assailants hardly seemed to have even broken a sweat. She was clearly outnumbered and outmatched. The smart thing to do would be to give up now and hope for a fast and painless death…

NO! I can't die now! I'm still needed! People are counting on me! I still have things I want to do! I WANT TO LIVE!

"NO!" Misao screamed out hysterically, jumping to her feet. "My odds may not be good, but I'm not going down without a fight!" she yelled defiantly as she settled into a defensive stance.

"Why do they always want to do it the hard way?" wondered the tall man as he ran forward to answer her call for another fight.

As Misao saw the man run towards her, all her battle instincts kicked into gear. She now became a raging spitfire of flying limbs. As soon as the taller man got within one foot of her she jumped up and spin kicked him square in the jaw. The man took a small step backward in surprise.

"Hey, don't just stand there. Come and give me a hand," barked out the man irritably to his partner.

The smaller man just walked slowly towards the two, Misao's eyes never leaving his figure. Suddenly he vanished. The next thing she knew, she was grabbed from behind and held in a strong grip. She clutched at his arms and in one fluid movement she judo flipped him over her head and hopefully far away from her. She had no such luck however when the man simply spun around and landed on his feet.

What is this guy…part cat? Such fast reflexes…I shouldn't be here…I need to get away…

Misao panicked and turned and ran. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. The two men were right on her heels. She kept on running until she saw a side street. Thinking quickly, she changed her course and went straight into the alley, never once slowing down. When she came face to face with a brick wall, her heart dropped down to her knees. She had run into a dead end. Turning around slowly she saw the fast approaching figures of her attackers. She squeezed her eyes shut and waited for the inevitable. This was the end for her.

"Stop!" Misao looked up at the sound of a voice. She was momentarily saved by the appearance of a small boy. The hood on his cloak was down and Misao could clearly see his face. The boy had black spiky hair and brown eyes. Appearance wise she thought he looked very similar to Yahiko, but they couldn't have been more different. The young kid had on a pair of small circular glasses that hung low on his nose and made him seem older and wiser which in truth he probably was. He had a stern expression, which neither looked comforting nor sinister. Either way Misao could tell this kid meant trouble. Seeing that the two hooded men now had all their attention on the small boy, she attempted to use this time to escape, but was stopped by the boy's voice. It was deep and commanding, not at all high and squeaky like she had expected.

Did his voice just change? I could have sworn that he sounded like a child a moment ago. Now he sounds like an adult. What is going on?

"Stop this foolishness. Hurry up, our time is almost over," said the boy, looking up at the quickly lightening sky. The last comment seemed to be directed to the other two black robed men so Misao tried once again to run away only to find out that she couldn't move.

Oh no! This is beyond bad! I can't even lift a finger in my defense! What do these guys want with me anyway? All these thoughts screamed inside her head. Finally the tall guy approached her.

"Hmm, I see you've settled down a bit. I guess that paralyzing powder my partner placed on you during the fight really does work. …You know, you're a lot cuter when you're not throwing a tantrum like some spoiled little kid. I bet even that ice block Aoshi would have to agree with me."

Misao's eyes flashed angrily. This remark had hit a nerve and stirred up a deep fire within her.

How dare he insult Aoshi-sama like that! Not to mention insulting me! Who does this guy think he is!

Unable to do almost anything, Misao did the best thing she could think of; she spit in his face.

"Go to hell creep. Don't you EVER say Aoshi-sama's name again! And I am NOT a spoiled little kid!"

"Why you…and to think we were trying to help you!" growled the man as he lowered his hood in order to fully wipe away the saliva. This remark had confused Misao, but it had also piqued her curiosity. So when the man had brought his arm up to wipe his cheek, she couldn't help but look at the face of her attacker. What she saw surprised her greatly as her eyes widened at the sight and she instantly regretted looking. She swiftly moved her bright green orbs expectantly to the amber-eyed one in the group. He simply nodded and reached up and removed his hood. Misao's big eyes opened even wider in disbelief and shock.

"Don't ask," came his quick reply, "It would take too long to explain and you wouldn't understand anyway. Now be a good girl."

The next thing Misao knew, she felt a sudden jabbing pain at the back of her neck and she had the sense of falling forward. Her wounded eyes looked up questioningly at the amber-eyed man, but he just stood there impassively. All the images started blurring together and all she could think of was: "why?" Then strong arms caught her around her waist preventing her from hitting the ground. The last thing she saw was the forgotten packet of tea leaves by her feet and a mental image of Aoshi's face before everything went dark.

"Hey, are we doing the right thing?" asked the taller guy, adjusting Misao's body so he was now carrying her over a shoulder like a sack of potatoes.

"Yes, this is for her own good. This is to Aoshi's benefit as well. He needs to feel the pain he caused her. Who knows, it might speed our plan up a bit," replied the shorter man as he walked towards his partner.

"What if our plan fails or backfires?"

"It won't. This is our duty to perform. People's happiness and lives are at stake here. Failure is not an option."

"I know, I'm just a little worried. That damn Aoshi is so slow when it comes to these things. I just hope he makes it in time."

"I agree, I don't like needless deaths."

"Gentlemen, it's time. Countdown begins now," said the youth as he stepped forward and picked up the discarded packet of tea leaves. Slowly he walked further down the alley where a blind man and his dog sat waiting. Afterward he pressed the packet of tea leaves in the man's palm and bent down to whisper in his ear. Then just as slowly as before he walked back towards the other two. The sun was now just coming up over the horizon. "Come. We have much work to do. This is only the beginning."

All three males gave a silent nod. Suddenly there was a huge gust of wind and in the blink of an eye all was gone; no hooded men and no Misao. All that was left was a blind homeless man, his bony pet dog, and a single packet of tea.

-o-o-o-o-o-

Definitions:

konnichiwa: A greeting used after 10 am. It can mean good afternoon or hello.

minna-san: I think this means everyone. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

okashira: Basically this is what they call the leader of a ninja clan.

Misao no baka: This translates to "Misao you idiot!" or something along those lines.

kunai: These are ninja throwing knives.

katana: Hopefully if you're reading this fic that means that you already know what this is, but for those of you who don't, a katana is a long sword. Samurai also wore a shorter sword called a wakizashi.

(If there are any other words that you are unfamiliar with, just tell me and I will be sure to include a definition in my next chapter.)

-o-o-o-o-o-

A/N: Wow! My first chapter is already done and I already have the second written. I think my story is progressing nicely. I even added in a fight scene, in the first chapter, and I suck at fight scenes! What's important however is what you think. Do you like it, hate it, have tips to make it better, or just wish to flame it? Whatever you think please let me know in a review.

That is quite a predicament I put poor Misao in. How will she fare? Who are those mysterious men? What about the tea? And how will Aoshi react to the news? Will Aoshi even have a reaction? Tune into next chapter to find out.

Before I forget a special thanks go out to bunny, my love-lee editor, and darksaphire, who was a big help with this chapter.