Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin and all characters therein belong to Nobuhiro Watsuki.

Siege

Casualties of War

The corporate world, in Aoshi's experienced opinion, was comparable to life in feudal times.

Perhaps not on the more superficial levels, but in essence, the structure was the same. And the most successful corporations he'd had the pleasure of being associated with were always the ones being run -intentionally or otherwise- like a self-contained han.

Although rather than the simplicity and straightforward methods of gaining assets or power through clever marriages or well-executed battle, these times called for the dubious "civilization" of mergers and buy-outs. While negotiations could often become hostile and underhanded, and shady practices still abounded at every turn, unfortunately one could no longer solve the matter with a well-paid ninja and a few conveniently orchestrated catastrophes.

However, each division had its own workers trained specifically for their given purpose, who in turn were held accountable under their division's appointed leader. Each of those an essential figure with exemplary intelligence, capability, and skill, carefully selected to independently maintain order and productivity throughout their assigned department.

They served in the same function as the daimyou before them.

And like daimyou, all of their actions and decisions were monitored and ultimately presented to their trusted shogun.

Aoshi paused, staring at the stacked papers in his hand as the image of Himura Kenshin dressed in the court garb of a shogun from those ancient times came to mind. Blinking, he looked up and found the object of his thoughts still leaning against his desk, thumbing through the contents of the folder Aoshi had just presented.

Under those circumstances, I suppose my own place would have been the shogun's Regent, Aoshi mused wryly, tapping his thumb against the page in front of him. Higher than the daimyou, second to the shogun…

Aoshi glanced up when he caught a flicker of movement, just in time to see Kenshin turn his head to look at something in the hall and abruptly walk straight into the doorframe. The papers in Kenshin's hands scattered as he hunched over, holding both his hands over his forehead, and swearing profusely under his breath.

Blinking slowly in mild amazement at the absolute ridiculousness of what he'd just witnessed, Aoshi rose to his feet and came around the desk until he could follow Kenshin's line of sight to the cause. Ignoring the continued profanity coming from the shorter man, Aoshi felt his brows raise with a sudden epiphany.

Smoothly, he stepped into the hallway and closed the door to his office, muffling the sounds inside just as the new office manager he'd hired said her goodbyes to one of the more striking male interns. As she passed by, she caught sight of him and bowed once, one arm loaded down with folders and the other holding her cell phone to her ear.

Aoshi watched her more openly once her back was to him, meticulously examining her from the top of her head, down her well-tailored suit, all the way to the ankle-strap heels.

His office door opened behind him, and Kenshin quickly leaned out with one hand still held protectively to his forehead. Never once looking up at Aoshi, he unerringly found Kaoru's position and skirted around the doorframe to hurry after her.

Aoshi studied Kenshin's expression and body language curiously, folding his arms across his chest as he watched the two of them interact with veiled interest until they moved out of sight. After a moment, his attention dropped to the scattered papers and up into his empty office.

His empty, quiet office.

Thoughtfully, Aoshi stepped inside and closed the door behind him, turning his wrist to watch the time until those seconds stretched into minutes. Yet, his office still remained clear, peaceful and quiet. Letting his hand fall back to his side, Aoshi looked at the door, unaware of the way one brow arched up as his thoughts raced.

Kamiya Kaoru had become a necessary addition as their corporate han grew, integrating herself into their hierarchy as seamlessly as if she'd always been a part of it. Aoshi had come to trust her to perform impeccably within the bounds of her authority, freeing him from a large portion of more tedious tasks, and leaving him free to focus on more important matters.

Important matters like keeping their energetic shogun from unintentionally sabotaging their productivity in his boredom.

Aoshi knelt to gather up the papers, absently stacking them against his thigh before he stood and set them on the corner of his desk. Slowly drumming his fingers on the wooden surface, his eyes narrowed faintly at the plan unfolding in his mind.

Part of his responsibility was knowing when and where to apply the skills of any given employee in order to best serve the purposes of the company. While it was a shame to willfully undermine her professional capacity, any successful strategist recognized the necessity of sacrifice on the path to peaceful prosperity.

He would simply have to ensure that the benefits of her position offered enough incentive to keep her where she would continue to unintentionally provide this invaluable distraction without tipping her off.

Although…

Frowning again, Aoshi reached for the phone.

It couldn't hurt to have a few of those well-paid ninja on standby.