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Dec 10, 2011 : Format fixed

Speech - Thoughts

Speech - Memories

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Ok, here's my first fic *cheering sounds in the background*. English is not my first language, so I'm sorry for any typos there might be. Just for the record, I think of Aoshi as a very reserved person, but I'm sure there's a lot more going on in that pretty head of his than we can imagine. You'll see what I mean. That said, let's go on with the history.

Disclaimer: I don't own it *wails*

Warnings: Mild swearing and a few spoilers from the ShiShio and Enishi's saga. Not too many, but don't say I didn't warn you.

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Chapter 1

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*Tac, tac, tac, tac* The rhythmic sound of her wooden sandals was both soothing and annoying at the same time. If Misao ever found who was the oh-so-funny person that put all her clothes outside in a stormy night... As it was, she got stuck with an old kimono and said wooden sandals. And since the deal didn't exactly please her, she decided to go shopping for some nice western clothes. It wouldn't be the first time she wore them, after all.

"But maybe I should try a more conservative look this time" she mused to herself, recalling Sano's reaction to the pinkish short-skirted outfit she wore that time.

But she wasn't the same Misao anymore. She was a few inches taller, maybe even as tall as Kaoru. Her once rounded face was now more defined, and her body, much to her delight, had developed quite nicely. After all, she was already 18. Misao bit her lip at that. "I'm almost an old maid, dammit". Of course, some things never change.

*Tac, tac, tac, TAC, TAC,TAC* People were starting to stare at the young pretty fuming lady, some even inching away from her path. Misao was beyond caring for them. Her thoughts were focused in the same person they had been for the last couple of years.

*TAC,TAC,TAC,TAC* Oh, yes, her dear Aoshi-sama. Not to say he was as cold to her as he was before. Sure, he hadn't become a chatterbox, but he had begun to take care of the administration of the Aoiya, rather than play statue at the temple. He acted quite normal, actually. "Well, as normal as Aoshi-sama goes" she sighed, stopping in her tracks. Sometimes it was difficult to remember all he had accomplished since his stony days. He was getting used to it. So was she. She still loved him, maybe even more now that he wasn't a memory but a tangible dream. She shook her head. She had to stop going over the same thoughts over and over again. It had done her no good before, and it wouldn't now. A dream was a dream. Dreams don't always come true.

Approaching the clothes store, she decided that maybe it wasn't such a good idea, after all. She spotted Sae looking through the shop's glass and quickly made a hasty retreat. She definitely wasn't insane enough to repeat the scene caused by Sae's 'operation ladylike' again. Not that she didn't appreciate all of her friend's efforts but howtosayit... the restaurant owner tended to get a little... carried away. Yeah that was it.

Oh well, so much for shopping intentions. Misao figured she could at least go for a nice walk around town. Avoiding Sae, of course.

"Misao-chan!"

...or not. I swear, it's like she has a 7th sense for getting me into embarrassing situations.

No delusions, girl, Sae isn't about to let you go that easily, not when she had been planning the perfect strategy to get you to be a 'proper girl'. One strained smile later, Sae dragged Misao into the very same store she had been heading into earlier.

"…and this one too…. Oh! Look at this one…..maybe in red…. But the blue one is also nice, oh well…. Prove both!"

Misao staggered under the weight of forty-something dresses Sae had picked out. She looked like a damn walking pile of clothes!. Searching for help, her eyes encountered the shopkeeper. And her hopes died an horrible death. The elderly lady had just found another bunch of dresses to show Sae.

*Groan* "There is no god…".

And so, she was again at the mercy of a shopping-happy Sae.

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Aoshi walked around the Aoiya. That morning, a scream loud enough to wake all of Kyoto had made him almost choke on his breakfast. Of course, Aoshi, being Aoshi, had only blinked and looked at Okina for answers.

" Wonder what..."

Aoshi blinked again when a disbelieving look crossed Okina´s features.

"My pretty Misao-chan! Show your jiya how lovely you look in a kimono!"

With that, Okina bolted from the room. Aoshi could hear the sound of mayhem and didn't even want to imagine the punishment Okina was going through. Kimono? not having anything better to do, Aoshi decided to watch the show. Besides, his office was that way.

"..." Aoshi calmly sidestepped a flying Okina and blinked again. He had no doubt the old man had that coming.

"I said I'm going to buy something else, and I will do it NOW!" An enraged Misao squirmed against Omasu and Okon´s holds. Well, to say that Aoshi was surprised was an understatement. Actually, he was stunned. Misao was, as Okina had said, in a kimono. But nothing could have prepared him for the sight before him. The kimono was lavender in color, with vines painted near the hem. The obi was a little darker in color, making her feminine curves stand out. She had definitely grown up.

"Ohayo Aoshi-sama. I'll be back later" Misao grumbled, finally getting away, wobbling a little in her geta sandals It was a sign of her bad mood that she hadn't even looked twice his way. For some reason, THAT disturbed him.

And now he was on his way from the temple to the Aoiya, and Misao still hadn't came. Oh, he still went there to pray, concentrate and get his mind off little things. And little Misao still hadn't came back. He knew their current okashira was capable of taking care of herself, but if something happened to her, he... Stop, don't go there. As much as he had taken to this new life, there were still a lot of dangerous territories yet unexplored. This one being the most dangerous of them all.

He knew about her feelings, he wasn't THAT blind. He had to admit he had been surprised said feelings hadn't disappeared yet but then again, Misao was famous for her stubbornness. That had stirred mixed emotions within him, and he had swiftly decided that was unknown territory, therefore, he would cast it away. He should have known she wouldn't let him. And some part within him just didn't care.

Pulling the back door closed behind him he was about to go to his study when the sound of the back door opening stopped him. Still trying to sort his thoughts, he faced the origin of the sound. And the world stopped.

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Misao stopped at the Aoiya's door and frowned. There would be a fuss over her, no doubt about it, and she could live without having all the costumers as spectators of the mayhem bound to happen. After shaking an image of herself struggling in one of Okina´s bear hugs *shudder* and the costumers cheering either of them when she pounded the old man, she decided to use the back door instead. At least Sae hadn't come with her. She had claimed oh so much work to do and had left her weasel friend to face the old resident pervert alone.

Fine, here it goes... She pulled the Aoiya's back door open and almost bumped into something... someone... someone's chest?. Lifting her head, she stared right into a pair of azure eyes. And time stopped in that room.

An eternity passed. Blue met blue and a second later, the contact broke. Misao blushed, suddenly self-conscious of herself.

Come on... get a grip on yourself! It's only Aoshi-sama... of course it would help if he wasn't looking so intently at me... Fine, I decided I would change everything, so I wouldn't get my hopes high again. I got sick of plummeting to the ground.

Aoshi, on the other hand was no having such thoughts. Suddenly he wasn't having any thoughts at all.

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She was dressed into a light blue western dress, the upper bodice tight against her petite body. The skirt was flowing to the ground, and the dress parted in the front part to reveal dark blue sand clock shaped silk. Her hair was free from the practical braid, half of it braided loosely, letting soft wisps of hair frame her face delicately. She was an angel.

His mind had decided to take a short nap and he was desperately trying to wake it up. C'mon! focus! breathe, breathe, that's it. Time to prove all that Zen training worthwhile.

Misao got tired of waiting for him to say something. Smiling a little, she did little spin. "Well, don't just stand there. What do you think Aoshi-sama?".

The sound of her voice was what snapped him, after all. No words could describe her now. He was never good with words anyway. "Western clothes really do suit you, Misao"

Blink. If anything, Misao had been ready to see a nod, maybe not even that, but to actually hear that from him… "A…Arigato Aoshi-sama" a blush covered her cheeks and a thought assaulted her mind. I wanted to change everything and he SEEMS willing to cooperate… careful girl, don't go crashing again. Suddenly, she remembered Sae's joke.

" Oh my Misao-chan! did you see the way that guy looked at you? We have to be careful, or else your miai party will be too crowded!" A miai party. A traditional event for a girl to meet a possible husband. Sae had been pestering her to agree on one, since she said it was only the most reasonable thing to do, and besides, she wasn't getting any younger.

She usually refused, of course, and politely told Sae that maybe in the future she would accept (when hell froze over and she was stronger then Himura), however, that particular day, after her little decision to change things, she had started to think about it as an option.

Misao sighed. It WAS the most reasonable thing to do, and since Ice block here wasn't giving her too many options…

" Sae helped me to pick it up, she said I had to learn to be more feminine. You know her. She started babbling about a miai or something and… well, I had to buy new clothes anyway"

Miai? what the hell?. Aoshi blinked at her statement. He had known for some time of Sae's intentions (not that she had kept them in secret, mind you), but he had always been sure that Misao wouldn't accept. Fine, so she hadn't said yes yet, but she wasn't complaining about it either. ' So... is it a bad thing?' a little voice asked, and it suspiciously sounded like a taunting Okina.

He didn't know what to make of it. This was Misao they were talking about. Their former okashira's granddaughter and the current okashira! She couldn't get involved with just anyone! who knows what kind of people would attend the miai!. They could all be dangerous people trying to get the power of the Oniwabanshuu!. Of course, he conveniently overlooked the fact that Sae would be the one to select the men and that Okina would approve their being invited after careful research. He mused about all the reasons it wouldn't be a good idea to hold that miai and, for some reason, he kept on hearing a little Okina-laugh in his head.

"MISAO-CHAN!"

Oh, speaking of the devil... He watched poor Misao get hugged to death by the old man and suddenly everybody seemed to start talking at once. Standard Aoiya way. So he grabbed a cup of tea and sat down to enjoy the show. Before, he would have gotten away from all the racket but, nowadays, it seemed that he had developed a little interest in Oniwabanshuu catfights.

He was amazed at himself. To think that he would change that much in only two years... He was still stony Aoshi, but keeping his reputation didn't mean that he couldn't enjoy himself at other's expenses, now did it?

The big ball of dust was moving back and forth, arms and legs visible from time to time. And suddenly a very dazed Misao was sent flying to the floor, spiral eyes big as saucers. Fun just didn't last forever, did it?

Omasu and Okon started squealing, stopping Misao in her intent of escaping her tormentors.

"Misao, you've finally come to your senses!"

" This is wonderful, I've got soooo many clothes I'd like to see you in"

" Don't forget make-up Okon-chan, and the hair too!"

Misao seemed to get smaller with each sentence, which didn't seem to faze the happy women in the slightest.

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Curse whomever for getting her clothes wet, curse Sae for getting her into the dress, curse Okina for putting the damn miai idea into Sae's mind (Oh yes, the idea had been his to begin with, even if she was perfectly capable of thinking about it on her own. Damn that old man and his jokes), curse Okon and Omasu for seeing her as a kokeshi doll they could play house with, curse Shiro and Kuro for just standing there fighting back their laughter... and curse Aoshi too for... well, everything. She was sure as hell that, even if he didn't help create the situation she was currently in, he was guilty of some terrible sin against her. Mainly of being a damn oblivious baka.

Misao sighed. After all that racket had ended, Okon had disappeared, probably to plan a new kind of torture for her. Omasu had dragged her into her room babbling about ways to get a man's attention. And so, here she was, hearing Omasu's rambles about men.

"... It's sooo amazing how those western dresses show off all that's needed! The men will fall around you like flies! You'll see, you will find a husband before you even know it. Oh! the marriage! We need to think about the wedding kimono, and the arrangements! It will be held here, of course. Oh my! And Okon and I will have to get new kimonos as well, maybe matching ones!. Kaoru-san could help us with the decorations and ..."

Misao sighed. Again. There was no returning Omasu back to reality now. Why was it that everyone suddenly seemed so interested in her life? She had only bought a dress!. Next time she would just drape a blanket around herself and be done with it.

By the time she started babbling about married life, family and children, a headache had started to develop and little Omasu's carrying babies were dancing around Misao's head. Taking a cautious step towards the door, Misao gathered her dress and escaped as noiselessly as possible. Omasu was still on dreamland, so she could've walked right in front of her and the older Onimitsu wouldn't have noticed.

"And of course, you have to learn how to please your husband in bed..." Now sporting a neon pink blush, Misao closed the door, incredibly relieved when words turned into barely recognizable murmurs.

" Water" yes, a good glass of water would calm her nerves, maybe even tea… Tea made her think of Mr. Tea-man himself, and she closed her eyes, trying to even her breath. Of course, that meant she didn't see the stairs in front of her, and thus, she was suddenly out of balance. But she was a ninja, right? No little stairs would hurt her. That's right, she was the Okashira!

Wrong. A ninja of her caliber wouldn't be defeated by a set of stairs, but the smooth fabric of her LONG dress did the trick nicely.

"There is no god". And with that, she fell.

...Or should have. Instead of hard wood, she felt herself bump into human flesh. Raising her eyes, she found it to be the Oniwabanshuu's ex-okashira himself. His strong hands gripping her shoulders lightly, steadying her. Her own hands were crushed against his strong chest, her body pressed against him. She could feel his body heat around her, his distinct scent filling her nostrils. Masculine scent, he smelled of tea and incense. She forced herself to regain her wits (scattered as they were), not wanting to be lost in his closeness.

"Gomen nasai Aoshi-sama". That said, she made a hasty retreat, trying to sort her thoughts, and desperately trying to force back the instantaneous blush that threatened to stain her cheeks.

Aoshi blinked again. First he had almost been knocked out from the stairs via bullet Misao (not that anyone noticed, and what the didn't know wouldn't hurt them. He had a reputation, you see) and now she had run away from him as if she had seen the demon himself. Maybe he should have just stepped aside when he saw her coming.

…Nah, scratch that. Actually, he wasn't originally in her direct path, but had moved into it. Why? Well, he couldn't have the Okashira breaking her neck, could he?. Besides, Okina would have wanted HIS head on a platter if something happened to the little weasel. And it was no novelty that Misao's behavior was strange of late, so he guessed there was no point in dwelling on it longer. And he also conveniently ignored the little Okina voice that kept asking why it hurt so much seeing Misao running away from him.

Misao finally stopped her mad run at the garden. Breathing hard, she tried to calm the beating of her heart, which seemed to be imitating a drum.

I'm such a baka! Why did I run away like that? I don't care anymore! ….Fine, I DO care, but I'm working on it. I'll find someone else and…. She stopped short. And then, what? She doubted she could fall out of love in less than a month. These things take time girl.

It might not be easy, but certainly wasn't impossible, even if she lived with him. Even if she never forgot Aoshi, that didn't mean she couldn't be happy with someone else. Or happy without him altogether.

Not forgetting him doesn't mean loving him all my life.

With that decided, she went into the kitchen for her glass of water, maybe by keeping herself busy she could stop the nagging thoughts assaulting her about her decision.

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End of Chapter 1

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Sooooooooo…. What did you think? I have quite a few ideas for this fic. And man it was *difficult* to keep Aoshi from being OOC. Later he will be, I guess, he has changed after all.

Push the little button, I know you want to J

Verito-chan