I originally wrote this as a one-shot from Aoshi's POV, but then my little mind wheels went haywire and this happened. It's still a one-shot, just longer than expected. Ah well. Hopefully, you guys like it!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Warning: Aoshi is OOC in this. But then again with what he's trying to do….

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Aoshi Botches It

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Misao stared up at Aoshi with a trembling bottom lip and watery eyes. She stepped back slowly and then turned and fled. Aoshi heard her curse her kimono as she tried to run faster than the restricting garment would allow. He gave a loud sigh as he collapsed into his desk chair. He leaned back, letting his head roll as far back as it would go. He ran his hands up his face and through his hair before sitting upright again. "Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit."

He had tried again. And failed. Again. "The sixth freaking time! Sixth!" He whispered harshly to himself. Maybe all his earlier, 'we aren't meant to be together' crap was true. Or it had jinxed him. He had tried, unsuccessfully, for six days to tell Misao he loved her. Unsuccessful may be an understatement. It was a disaster. He had dragged Misao through hell with him. Poor girl.

What went wrong this time? Scrawny. He told her she was scrawny. Petite. He had wanted to say petite, but his mind for some reason, forgot the word. In his panic, it came out scrawny. Not exactly something you normally say to the woman you love, but Aoshi is far from normal. He let his mind wander back to the first time he tried to say it. It was Misao's nineteenth birthday and he wanted to tell her his feelings, and then court her properly like she deserved. Sadly, it wasn't meant to go smoothly.

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Day One:

Misao awoke to a loud chorus of "Happy Birthday!" She bolted upright on her futon, scared out of her wits by her beloved family. She stared wide-eyed at her door where Okon, Omasu, Shiro and Kuro flanked Okina. All grinning like idiots at her. She breathed deeply a few times, trying to steady her pounding heart. She finally ran a trembling hand through her disheveled hair and smiled brightly at them. "Ohayo and thank you!"

Okina's smile widened. "Hurry and get ready for the day. We have a lot to get ready for your party tonight."

Misao rolled her eyes. "Jiya, I get the feeling you're using my birthday as an excuse to throw one of your wild parties."

The old man shook his head at his adopted granddaughter. "Nonsense my pretty Misao! Now hurry!" With that being said he closed her shoji and made his way to the kitchen.

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Aoshi heard the loud shout all the way from the training hall. He smiled slightly at the look Misao must have on her face right now. It was the same every year. They would burst into her room in the morning, yelling "Happy Birthday" and then Misao would bolt up, hair disheveled, eyes wide, mouth agape and slightly shaking. It was quite a funny sight.

However, his mind was already on overload with thoughts of Misao and seeing her this early, rosy from sleep, would do him no good. His libido would kick in and he'd make a fool of himself.

He ran through another set of kata, concentrating on his body's movements more to keep Misao from his thoughts than a need to get the moves correct. These movements were second nature to him, but they provided a means of distraction.

Aoshi lowered his blades and scowled at the wall. Exercise wasn't helping, meditation hadn't helped and he didn't know what else to do. He had already decided to tell Misao he loved her. He wanted to do it tonight. It had to be perfect. The plan was in his mind, he just needed to wait until the night.

Aoshi couldn't do anything yet. If he got anything he needed for tonight now, someone would notice and spoil everything. He would have to wait until he left to meet Misao and then pick up what he needed.

He debated whether he should give her the note yet. If he did, she'd probably bug him all day about it. He decided he'd just have to put something in the note about not harassing him to tell her anything. He made his way to his room and passed Misao on the stairs. "Happy Birthday, Misao."

Misao gave him a dazzling smile. "Thank you, Aoshi-sama! Will you be joining us for breakfast?"

He looked at her eyes. She had disappointment in them, like she knew he would say no. Yet there was still hope. He nodded slightly. "Aa."

He watched in fascination as her eyes widened in happiness and her smile became impossibly brighter. She went from beautiful to breath-taking and Aoshi realized he wanted that exact expression on her face more often. His heart skipped a beat. That amazing radiance, just because he would join them for a meal.

She bounced on her heels a few times. "That's wonderful, Aoshi-sama! I'll go set you a place!" She flew past him and he shook his head with an amused smirk.

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During breakfast, all he could do was glance at the small woman next to him over and over. She chatted happily with her family, giggling at this, laughing at that, and he was entranced. He knew he loved her, knew how beautiful she was, but it still made his breath hitch sometimes.

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Aoshi made his way toward the gate to go for a walk in the woods. He paused next to the sweeping Misao and grabbed her hand. She gasped at the contact and the broom clattered noisily to the ground. "Aoshi-sama?"

He placed the folded note in her hand, and then wordlessly walked away.

Misao opened the note with shaking fingers.

Dear Misao,

Meet me at the hideout by the creek at 7:00 tonight.

-Aoshi

If you ask me what this is about, you won't get your present.

Misao refolded the note and tucked it into her obi. She was giddy with excitement already and 7:00 was still hours away. It would be a long day.

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Aoshi put all his packages on the low table in the tiny cabin. He had cleaned out the hideout a few days prior to prep for his confession. He put bunches of red roses in every corner of the room. He then placed small candles all over the cabin. Once lit, they would cast a warm, golden glow in the room, creating a romantic atmosphere. Next, he set a single long candle in the middle of the little table and arranged a few shorter roses around it. He spread a plush blanket out next to the little fire pit near one wall and stacked the wood and kindling in it, ready to be ignited. He set the dozen roses he kept separate for a bouquet for Misao aside and then sprinkled the petals from the rest across the room. "Perfect."

He looked at his pocket watch and realized he had just enough time to go get their dinner before Misao arrived. He quickly returned with their food and set it on the table, then lit all the tiny little candles plus the one in the center of the table. He sensed her presence and exited the cabin, bouquet in hand.

Misao looked up at Aoshi with a bright smile on her face. "I'm here, Aoshi-sama."

Aoshi tried to remain stoic as he looked at Misao's appearance. She was wearing a dark maroon kimono, just that one solid color, with a silver obi. Her hair was held in place on one side with a silver clip, the rest flowing to her waist. She was exquisite in that outfit. Perfection personified. Aoshi licked his dry lips. "Good evening, Misao."

He held the roses out to her and Misao's eyes grew wide. She took them slowly and awkwardly. Aoshi quirked a brow at her odd behavior. "Thank you, Aoshi-sama."

Aoshi watched her a few minutes longer as she fidgeted. He caught her trying to discreetly scratch at her arms. "Misao, what's wrong?"

Misao looked to him, giggling nervously. "Nothing, Aoshi-sama!" Another nervous giggle. Oh, she was lying, all right.

Aoshi grabbed one arm and slightly lifted the kimono sleeve. He noticed tiny red marks all along the expanse of skin he could see. "Misao, what are all these welts from?"

Misao deflated slightly, caught in her lie. "I'm allergic to roses, Aoshi-sama."

Aoshi was speechless for a moment. There were roses in the Aoiya, weren't there? He thought for a moment longer and realized there was just about every kind of flower but roses. Not in Okina's garden, not in the house, not in the restaurant, and not on any of the Aoiya property. How could he have missed that?

Remembering the vast amounts of roses in the cabin, Aoshi ordered her to remain outside. He went in and blew out all the candles and they wordlessly made their way back to the Aoiya. Plan one, ruined.

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Day Two:

Aoshi wracked his brain for another tactic. All this romance stuff wasn't really his forte, but Misao deserved it. When she was younger she would have found the romantic approach cheesy and predictable. However as a young woman, she liked the thought of being swept off her feet. That was it! He could do a little role playing. All he needed was to call in a favor from a farmer he had saved from thugs last year.

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Misao frowned as she made her way to the temple. Aoshi never meditated this late. It had been dark for a couple hours and she certainly didn't like the idea of taking him tea by herself at this time of night.

She heard the sound of horse hooves clacking against the dirt path. The young ninja didn't pay much attention. She made her way over to the side of the path to stay out of the way. The clacking grew louder and faster. She began to feel the hairs on the back of her neck prick up. Something wasn't right.

She was suddenly hoisted up by the waist as the horse zoomed by. A tall man slung her over the horse's back and rode on.

Misao tried to get a look at her captor's face but he had a cloth over the lower half and a straw hat covering his head. Any other features were lost in the darkness of the night. She struggled to sit up. She couldn't jump off the horse without injury in her kimono, but once they dismounted she could do some damage and make her escape.

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They stopped in a small barn on a little farm on the outskirts of the city. Her captor dismounted and then lifted her from the horse. Misao saw her chance. Grabbing a kunai from her obi, she stabbed her enemy in the shoulder and dashed off, never looking back.

Aoshi tore off his cloth and hat and then clutched at his wounded shoulder. "Damn it!" Maybe it wasn't the brightest idea in the world, but he thought it would've worked. Handsome mystery man kidnaps you on horseback and takes you to a secluded area to declare his undying love for you. A cow's moo broke his thoughts and he sighed. "Yeah, idiot. Tell her in a smelly barn full of livestock." Alright, no redeeming quality to that plan but he had nothing else.

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The former okashira made his way back to the Aoiya after borrowing some medicine and bandages from the old farmer. He entered through the back door to find Okon and Omasu trying to calm an enraged Misao. At the sight of him, Misao calmed. "I'm sorry about your tea, Aoshi-sama. I was abducted on the way to the temple!"

Aoshi's mind worked. A nod would not be an appropriate response. He gave what he hoped sounded like a relieved sigh. "I'm glad you are safe. I went to look for you when you didn't show at the temple, but could find nothing. I was hoping you were here."

Misao nodded. "I'm fine. Stabbed the idiot in the shoulder with my kunai." She gave a triumphant grin.

Aoshi's shoulder seemed to throb in response. "Idiot indeed. Goodnight." He made his way to his room and sighed in defeat. Plan two, dumb as it was, ruined.

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Day Three:

Aoshi thought he had the perfect solution. A serenade. He wasn't entirely comfortable with singing a love song to Misao where everyone else could hear, but it was the only idea he had.

He made his way out to the garden just outside Misao's shoji that night. Gathering a small handful of rocks, he flung them at the door. Of course, luck was not on his side or Misao's that night.

Aoshi could only watch in horror as Misao's shoji slid open just as the pebbles arrived at their destination. The tiny stones pelted Misao's head and she stumbled back. "Itai!" As she stumbled she tripped backwards over a small table and fell on her backside, her ankle twisting. Aoshi was stunned for a few seconds, wondering if that had really just happened.

He finally regained his senses and rushed over to the injured little ninja. "Misao, are you alright?"

Misao, still dazed, smiled sheepishly at him. "I think I'm alright." As she struggled to stand, she felt her ankle give way once she put pressure on it. She sucked in a breath. "I think my ankle is twisted."

Aoshi helped her over to her futon and began to gingerly inspect the joint. It had already begun to swell. "I think it is twisted. Hang on, I'll go get some bandages."

When he returned, Misao seemed to be deep in thought, staring at the little projectile rocks that started the whole mess. "Aoshi-sama, do you know why there are rocks in my room?"

Aoshi shook his head. "I have no idea."

So, with Misao's ankle twisted and a heap of guilt on Aoshi, plan three, was ruined.

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Day Four:

Aoshi sat in his room, sulking. Shinomori Aoshi was usually not one who would sulk, but with the hellish three days he had been part of he was feeling particularly foul. He wracked his brain, as he had been doing lately, to try to figure out another way to tell Misao his feelings. As his mind whirled a knock on the shoji brought him out of his pout.

"Enter."

The door slid open and Okina poked his head through. "Ah, Aoshi. I was hoping to find you. We are all going out to a play tonight and closing the restaurant early. Misao doesn't wish to go. She says the play sounds boring. I was wondering if you wished to join us."

Aoshi was jumping for joy in his mind. A quiet evening alone with Misao would be the perfect opportunity. He shook his head. "No, thank you. I don't much enjoy the theater."

Okina smiled and nodded. "We'll be leaving in five hours. You and Misao will have to fend for yourselves for dinner. We'll be eating on the way."

Aoshi merely nodded and began to meditate when Okina left.

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The tall ninja glided through the marketplace, buying ingredients for dinner. He had decided to cook for Misao. After making her a lovely dinner, he would just tell her how he felt. He noticed the fish shop and made his way over, noticing Misao's favorite type of fish was available. Finishing up his purchases, he made it back to the Aoiya just after the others had left.

He worked quickly in the kitchen, effortlessly making a fine dinner. As the smells spread through the Aoiya, Misao bounded into the kitchen. "Hello, Aoshi-sama! What are you up to?"

She stopped in her tracks as she realized he was the one cooking. Aoshi smirked slightly at her wide-eyed expression. "Hello, Misao. I'm cooking dinner. It's your favorite fish."

Finally composing herself, Misao went over to peer into the pots, nodding at Aoshi's skill. "It seems you know what you're doing."

Aoshi nodded. "I was expected to help in the Aoiya from time to time. Would you mind setting the table? This is ready."

Misao set places for the both of them as Aoshi brought the food over. With everything in place, Aoshi started to believe tonight would be the night. However, halfway through dinner, Misao started to look a little pale. "Misao, are you alright?"

Misao shook her head as a wave of dizziness swept over her. Her eyes grew wide and she bolted from the table. Aoshi stared at the door she had run through, wondering what had happened. Misao came back a moment later, swaying slightly. "Don't eat your fish, Aoshi-sama!"

Aoshi looked down at his, yet untouched, fish. "What?"

Misao smiled a small smile at him. "The fish is bad. It has to be. The vegetables are fine, the rice wouldn't do this to me. It has to be the fish."

Aoshi pushed his plate away and stood slowly, a sense of failure battering his already bruised confidence. And thus, plan four, ruined.

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Day Five:

Aoshi had decided he would just tell her. No more elaborate plans, they always ended up causing damage anyway. When she brought him tea, he would look in her bottomless sea-green eyes and tell her of his undying love. Romantic, truthful, and simple. It was perfect.

He meditated peacefully, the butterflies starting up at his normal tea time. Misao would be there any moment. He heard the shoji opened and frowned. It wasn't Misao.

"Good afternoon, Aoshi-sama." It was Omasu.

Aoshi nodded his head in greeting. He was about to ask where Misao was when Omasu answered his question. "Misao was asked to run a few errands for Okon. She says she's sorry she couldn't bring you your tea."

Aoshi frowned slightly. "She shouldn't be out in town after being so sick last night."

Omasu nodded. "I know. We all tried to get her to stay in bed, but you know Misao. If she can get up and go, she will."

Aoshi nodded and drank his tea quickly, wanting nothing more than meditation now. He sighed once Omasu had left. Its simplicity was its greatest strength. But, plan five, ruined.

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Present Day:

That leads to today. He had asked Misao into his office. He wanted to list her good qualities to her. She had been feeling a little insecure lately and he had decided he could kill two birds with one stone, so to speak. He would tell Misao all the things he liked about her and then let her know just how much he loved her. But his stupid mind failed him. It was going so smoothly too.

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Misao entered his office, looking lovely in her Aoiya serving kimono. Aoshi had her sit down and he started to talk. "Misao, I asked you here because I would like to tell you something. I have noticed some changes in you lately. Good changes."

Misao gave a skeptical smile, wondering where this was headed.

"I wanted to tell you that I think you've turned into a beautiful young woman." It was going so well! And then Aoshi's mind stopped once Misao flashed a brilliant smile that made him putty in her hands. He was supposed to say he preferred petite women, or one petite woman in particular. Instead… "I like smaller women. Like you, scrawny…" His mind reeled back. SSSHHHHIIIIIIIITTTTT! What the hell had he just done? Misao's wide, watery eyes and trembling lower lip haunted him as she ran from the room.

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And now he sat in his desk chair, eyes glaring at nothing in particular as he thought. He had no idea how to undo this, no idea how to tell her anymore. He had tried elaborate, simple, special, and normal. Nothing worked. He headed to his room for a rest. There was nothing he could say to make Misao feel better anyway. He had messed up too bad this time.

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Aoshi woke up to a dark room. Glancing at his clock, he realized it was almost midnight. Everyone else would be asleep by now. He crept downstairs, intent on making a pot of tea. As he waited for the water to boil, he stood against the counter, back to the stairwell as he spoke quietly to himself.

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Misao was unable to sleep that night. She had thought Aoshi was going to tell her something wonderful. It certainly started out that way. But then he said she was…scrawny? What the heck? Misao froze as she saw Aoshi's silhouette move down the hallway. She quietly followed him downstairs, and stopped in her tracks as she realized Aoshi was talking to himself. She flattened herself against the wall of the stairs and listened.

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"Why can't I get it right? Romantic dinner, no. Romantic kidnapping, no. Serenading, no. Quiet dinner alone, no. During tea, no. Telling her simply in the office, no. I've dragged the both of us through six days of hell and nothing has worked. Maybe we really aren't meant to be together."

Aoshi was jolted from his thoughts as small arms wrapped around him fiercely and Misao's voice growled at him. "Don't you dare say that, Aoshi-sama!"

Aoshi stared in confusion at the dark head buried in his chest for a moment. "Misao?"

She lifted her eyes to look at him. "What were you just talking about, Aoshi-sama?"

Aoshi sighed. This certainly isn't how he wanted to tell her. "Just go back to bed, Misao."

Misao glared defiantly at him. "I will not! You tell me what's going on."

Aoshi sighed. She really did have a right to know, especially after all he had done to her. So, he told her the whole thing. From the first day, her birthday with the romantic cabin, to the present day with his shut-down brain. He had stared at his teacup through the narrative and looked up when he heard a choked sob.

Misao had a hand to her mouth, blinking hard to hold back her tears. She lost her battle and took Aoshi's teacup and set it on the counter. She grabbed both his hands and looked him straight in the eye. "What exactly did you want to tell me all those times, Aoshi-sama? Just tell me now."

Aoshi looked into her pleading eyes. "I wanted to tell you that I love you. That I wanted to court you and do all sorts of romantic things for you."

Misao was smiling her brilliant smile again, tears streaming freely down her cheeks. "Really?"

Aoshi gave her a small smile. "I wanted it to be special." He ran a thumb along her cheek affectionately. "I suppose it didn't work out."

Misao yanked him down to be eye level with him. "All I needed to hear was that you love me. You could have told me in a storage shed, a barren field, a dirt path, it doesn't matter. All I wanted was those three words."

Aoshi smiled softly and placed his lips to hers. "I love you."

Misao's lower lip trembled as she whispered it back just before his lips pressed lightly to hers. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands on her waist, sliding one hand up her back to tangle in her hair. As he deepened the kiss, Misao gently bit his lip and he pulled back, looking at her questioningly. She smirked. "You have to court me, remember? I want all that romance stuff. So, no more freebies."

Aoshi groaned. "Did you not just listen to what happens when I try to be romantic?"

Misao giggled as she noticed him absently rub his stabbed shoulder. "I'm truly sorry about stabbing you. You should have known better."

Aoshi gave her a playful glare and she wrapped her arms around his waist. She stared at him thoughtfully. "We could always skip the courting and go straight to marriage."

Aoshi quirked an eyebrow at her. "Are you sure? I thought you wanted all that romance stuff."

Misao smiled softly at him and shook her head. "I was kidding about that. I want you. Not flowers, presents, dates or pretty words. All those things are nice, but they aren't what I love. I love Shinomori Aoshi. Not the okashira, not the ninja, not the man who trained me or helped raise me for a few years, just Shinomori Aoshi. That's who I want."

Aoshi's throat clogged and all he could do was bury his head in the crook of Misao's neck, breathing in her fresh scent. They would definitely be in the courthouse registering as a married couple tomorrow. And the next weekend, they would be married. All Aoshi had to do was make it official.

"Makimachi Misao, would you help to cleanse my tainted soul? Would you help me find the man I should be? Would you help chase away my demons? Would you be willing to handle all of those things with me?"

Misao nodded quickly. "I would do all those things and more."

Aoshi smiled at her gently. Her eyes watered with happy tears as she memorized his face, the severe lines and stress erased by the small smile. "Then I ask you Makimachi Misao, will you marry me?"

Misao flung herself up into his arms. "I've never wanted anything more than that, Aoshi!"

And he realized the torture he put them through was unnecessary. As long as he was with her, that's all his Misao wanted. And that's all he wanted as well.

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A/N: (Choking on fluff.) Good lord, what is wrong with me? It's all or nothing on fluff with me, it seems. This was supposed to be humor but I lost it at the end. Bah, I've been fretting over this thing for a month anyway. I'm just glad it's over with. Review if you like. Hugs & Kisses!