11.25.10

Disclaimer:
Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki.
Part of the chapter title, Kaoru to Misao, is from the anime's soundtrack. It's a short, but really good piece. Very emotional. If music can only be incorporated here, that would be the perfect background music for this chapter.
Lastly, the song featured is Sugar and Spice by The Ditty Bops.


A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story
~ Chapter 3 ~
Dawn - Kaoru to Misao

Kaoru woke up to find one of her visitors missing in their huge futon. The three purposely set the futon on the floor because it was more comfortable to lie there while chatting about their lovelife than squeeze themselves on Kaoru's medium-sized bed. They had a blast talking about Megumi's never-ending fanboys and flings while enjoying pillow fights and drinks. It wasn't until 3 that they gave in to sleep, so it wondered Kaoru why she suddenly woke up. The clock told her that it has only been 35 minutes of her beauty rest.

Noticing the missing person sitting on a bench on the balcony, Kaoru made sure that Megumi was sound asleep and made her way to the glass doors leading outside, grabbing 2 sweaters along her way. She'd been meaning to talk to Isa for years about a certain topic, but the cheery girl show no signs of opening up her "personal battles" to anyone, not even her best friend. She was planning to squeeze answers out of her once Megumi leave later this Sunday to prepare for her early shift the following day, but opportunity seems to be on her side. Now might be the perfect time. It's now or never because Isa's graduating soon. She gently opened the glass door and heard the girl humming from her seat. She knew the song, it was supposed to be sweet, but somehow it sounded heart-wrenching coming out of the girl's lips.

"I never want to marry or to die
I just want to build a kite and fly it in the sky
I only live in castles made of sand
I don't care for many things untouched by human hand."

Having worn the first one, Kaoru slowly placed the extra sweater around the girl's shoulder. The girl didn't say a word, she only clutched the fabric around her and continued humming. Kaoru sat beside her and let her be. The two gazed at the stars while listening to Isa's sad song.

"These are the dreams of little girls
Who don't want to grow up
Sugar and spice, all things nice
So they say we're made of
Is that true..."

After the song ended, Kaoru noticed the silent tears. She held Isa's shoulder and the two leaned their heads on each other. Nobody spoke a word. Kaoru wasn't sure how to approach the girl. Despite the obvious sadness in her eyes, her friend was not one to show or talk about weaknesses. Isa, on the other hand, is debating with herself if she should break the silence and let Kaoru in, or remain silent for the rest of her college days in Tokyo. The latter was tempting and she can already picture her chickened out self going back inside, but something at the back of her mind tells her that this is the first step to her freedom. The pain she is feeling inside is already too much for one person to carry.

"K-kk—Kaoru...?" Isa started.

Isa is stuttering? This might be harder than I think. "Yes?"

"Did you ever had a dream, no a nightmare, and woke up to find that it's true?"

"Did you have one? Do you want to share? Maybe it won't be that bad if you say it." Kaoru smiled but deep inside, she was surprised at how Isa is putting it. She was sure her friend's problems are more than just a set of nightmares. Isa is hiding something big and regrettable and what it is, she will find out at this moment.

"You see, I keep having this dream. It wasn't clear until recently. All I seem to remember when I woke up is the red-colored flood passing through the buildings and trees. It was flowing everywhere, and at the middle of it was me. I was swimming my way out, although the flood doesn't seem to have an end."

"Isa, you always have weird dreams."

"I know, but this one's different. It kept on reoccurring until recently, when it became clear for the first time. I woke up sweating and crying and my heart ached because I remembered everything. But what's worse is when I realized that the flood was based on real things... very real and horrible things."

"You were in danger, Kaoru. There were street thugs ganging up on you, and I was there so I saved you. You were very thankful, but in between aiding you during the fight, I fell and got enveloped by a thick blanket of darkness. The next thing I know, I was drowning. I swam my way up to reach for the light that will save me, but when I reached the surface, it wasn't the light or you that I saw. The whole place was dark and the flood extends way beyond what my eyes could reach. I looked around, desperate to find the nearest elevated place that I could reach and that's when I realized that it wasn't just flood, it was a flood of thick blood. It was splashing on the ruined buildings and slowly dripping from the broken windows. It was crawling on the tree branches that I tried to reach. There was not a single soul, just me floating nowhere, surrounded by objects being carried by the rush of red. I was so scared, Kaoru. I thought I was going to die on my place." Isa paused to ponder on what she just said.

"Oh Isa, are you talking about that time? Is that what's bothering you all along?" The realization hit Kaoru and the guilt was starting to eat her. "Isa, thatone time, those were just street thugs who wanted a good fight, and you saved me. I may develop a little phobia in the dark, but there's nothing wrong with that, everything's fine now!"

"It wasn't just that one time. Everything's far from fine and I'm sorry I kept it all to myself. I was really guilty for almost separating you to Yahiko, your only family."

"Isa, now is the time to tell me. Please..."

"Have you heard about Lucid dreams? That's what happened to the rest of my nightmare. I swam for hours, forcing my stomach to be strong so I can move against the bloody waves. I finally found a shore where I crept, creating a trail of blood after me. I saw the only person existing there aside from me. It was Aoshi-sama. He was lying there, untouched by blood and unconscious. I shouted his name and ran to him immediately. I placed him on my lap and shouted hysterically to wake him up. Then I slowly realized I was dreaming. No matter how hard I shake him, he won't open his eyes. Part of me was relieved that it was only a dream, but part of me felt a bit panicky. Something was weird, I've been holding Aoshi-sama in my arms for some time now, but there is not a single drop of blood that reaches his skin whereas mine is as good as blood itself for all the red sticking on my hair, skin, and clothes. It was like I am dirty and tainted and my dream won't let me get through Aoshi-sama. I sobbed and repeatedly told myself that this is all a dream and soon I am going to wake up to find the people I care about still around me, safe and within my reach."

"And we are, Isa. We're here."

"But then I opened my teary eyes and I realized that it was still real." Isa replied too quickly. "My long-time nightmare is still there!"

"How..."

"Kaoru-chan, do you still remember when we were in our second year college?" With this, Isa received a nod from Kaoru. "I was in a bad mood one day and you were half-teasing, half-lecturing me about releasing my anger in sparring. It was then that we saw a couple of thugs looking at my angered face curiously across the street. You saw the serious look I was directing at them and you said I wouldn't seriously get into a fight right then. I did my usual bragging and approached them..."

Start of Flashback

"What's up, cutie?" One of the four men told Isa.

"Hey, hey, easy, man, she looks MAD." Said another one.

"Oh really? I thought she was just hot!" The first guy said and the others joined him in laughing."

"Hey, kid, if you're so mad, there's a motel nearby. Maybe we can help you release some anger." The third guy said, smirking.

This finally got a response from Isa. She smiled her sweetest smile that sent shivers on Kaoru's spine. The girl knew it was time to panic and she twisted her head quickly to the right then to the left and then back again, obviously looking for a strong enough man nearby who would help her stop the wrath that her friend's about to inflict on these guys.

"That's the smile. Who knows you can be cute like that. Now if you would only ask your friend to join us..." The third guy spoke again.

"Attempting to lure us and then calling me a kid... Why mister, you and your friends would be the perfect 'pastime' for a girl like me!" Then as soon as Isa said those words, she kicked the guy in front of her on his center. The guy fell backwards and held his front while cursing in pain.

"Ow! Isa... You're not in Kyoto anymore. There's no 'Aoshi-sama' to fetch you. You can't just pick a fight anywhere and get away with it." Kaoru's warning words were as good as a whisper.

"Man, did she just..."

"Hey, girl, who do you think you're fooling with?"

Isa shot them a glare and lunged towards the angry men, completely knocking them unconscious.

Then her attention was back on the hurting guy, awkwardly trying to rub off the pain. The guy had the look of panic, but the girl's mood suddenly seems a bit nicer. "I'm not gonna hurt you anymore, mister. You're gonna stay conscious for calling me 'cute'." She gave the man a wink before turning her back and walking towards Kaoru. The guy seemed even more frightened than before.

"Kaoru, I feel refreshed! Ne, let's grab a snack somewhere, I'm in a really good mood!"

A big sweatdrop was visible on Kaoru's forehead. She felt like melting on the ground along with her sweatdrop.

As they started walking away from the scene, the one Isa left awake started muttering... "These will cause bruises. Shishio-sama will jump with joy when he sees us." He said sarcastically while looking at his comrades' unconscious bodies.

End of Flashback

"We were unaware that those men were underlings of one of the biggest Yakuzas in Japan." Kaoru recalled.

"Yeah, they were so weak, they're probably under the lowest of the lowest of ranks." Isa said rather bitterly.

"That really tested our friendship, didn't it?"

Continuation of Flashback

"Where the hell are you taking me? You're the weaklings from before, right?" Kaoru shouted as loud as she can manage until her voice was muffled by the closing of the car trunk where she was placed.

When Isa arrived, she found a tied-up Kaoru battling a dozen men inside an old warehouse. Kaoru was strong and keeping up, but her tied hands were wearing her and the men were obviously enjoying the wriggling girl trying to run away from the makeshift limelight and failing. She was now covered with dirt and scratches were starting to form on her hands.

"Ah, the hot-tempered princess is here." It was one of the men Isa fought before and this brought everyone's attention to the newcomer. Everybody became alert, like the little girl before them is the most important mission they will ever handle. "Is she the one...?" The men whispered to each other and those who knew the girl were nodding, making the said girl aware that the four of them were all present.

"Yo. I see you're all there to avenge your weak selves! Now tell me, what is this all about? Can't you pick a fight with the 'princess' herself? In case you didn't know, I'm gonna be kind and fill you in. That girl you're holding hostage over there is the master of the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. She's trained in sword fights and she owns a dojo. Low thugs like you are no match to her... to us!"

"Thanks, sugar, we know that. But is she trained to see and fight in the dark... like a ninja?"

With that the limelight pointed towards the center where Kaoru is surrounded suddenly went off. Everything went black. There were no windows and metal clinking sounds indicated that the door was being locked. A huge gasp came from the girl, but nobody saw Isa's eyes growing large like saucers.

"If her hands and arms are tied like that, and she's not as trained as you are in the dark, can she fight when we take off her clothes like this..."

A scream came from Kaoru. While she is trying to force herself to adjust quickly in the darkness, a guy grabbed her arm and a few, the numbers unknown to her, were trying to rip off her clothes by slashing tiny daggers on her blouse. The girl thrashed and this woke Isa to her senses.

"ENOUGH! What do you want and what do you know about me?" Isa's playful tone is long gone. Her ninja training made her see clearly in the dark and she knows how to fight the second these guys spill the beans. She wanted to throw her kunais to show who's in control, but she noticed her opponents were all wearing pieces of armour strapped to their bodies, she cannot aim for a quick kill. It was an obvious hint that these men did their research.

"You see, Shishio-sama was really angry when we returned beaten, thanks to you, to our headquarters. The four of us got our little fingers chopped off; he said it was for fooling around with a student while doing our work and for risking the exposure of the drug-dealing that we were guarding at the time. He was so pissed off that he ordered some of his trusted men to find out more about you, just for the sake of knowing the 'strong and airy girl' who beat the crap out of his underlings. What he found out, however, were far more than what he could have wished for. Shishio-sama was very pleased."

"Shishio... you weaklings are from the Juppongatana Family - the infamous group of Yakuzas from Kyoto, now moving and extending their base in Tokyo." Isa concluded and got some annoyed reactions from most of the men for the "weaklings" remark.

"And you're Shinomori Isa – the Oniwabanshu's baby and the ward of the okashira, Shinomori Aoshi. You may be a brat, but we've heard that you're as skilful as the rest of your ninja clan."

"THE HELL I AM! You'll regret harming my friend!" Isa is now fuming. How can she be so reckless to pick a fight with these weak underlings of Juppongatana? Aoshi-sama's not gonna like this. She'll finish this as quickly as possible and get Kaoru away from here. "Kaoru, when I say don't move, don't move! I know all the secret passages of this place, I'll finish these men quickly and I'll untie you the first opportunity I get! Just make sure you're safe, you can handle that, can you?" Isa roared.

This signalled the start of fight. To Isa's surprise, more men came coming down from the secret entrance on the roof. She is now surrounded by around 50 men and there's still a lot left to hide Kaoru from her view. They may not be worthy opponents, but their numbers are a serious disadvantage. She held her kunais ready, throwing it on any open skin that she can reach while evading multiple punches and throwing her kecho giri every now and then to trip anyone that gets near her.

Kaoru is not moving from her position. The fighting screams tell her that there are now far more than a dozen men cornering them. It was quieter, however, on her side and it was all the more scaring her. Every now and then a hand would grab her in her sensitive areas and she fear that these men are really plotting to rape her. She would thrash now and then to keep the hands away, but the more she defends herself, the more she feels the men around her closing in. She could already visualize the smug look on their faces. As sharp as her instincts were, she was still having a hard time adjusting to the dark, panic was taking over and she felt ashamed for being a defenseless master of Kamiya Kasshin Ryu. If only she could release her hands from the tie at her back and grab a bokken substitute somewhere, then she could really promise her friend that she can take care of herself.

"Kaoru are you still ok?"

"Uh... Uh... HAI!"

"Hang in there!" Isa felt her friend's ki weakening and she figured she was really nervous by this time. Come to think of it, Kaoru has her own dojo and she knew enough self-defense, but sword-teaching schools don't really throw you in the dark with more than 50 wild thugs. It's her fault for involving her friend to the danger of the 'real' thing.

A couple more fights and Isa heard Kaoru's scream.

Two men managed to slash Kaoru's back and her lower thighs. They are now mutely laughing and used the distraction of her pain to pin her to the ground. Who knows how many men are holding her now. Kaoru kicked as hard as she can, but it was more to hide the fear she is feeling and the tears that are coming. She could feel her blouse being pulled in all directions, the buttons giving in, the men obviously eager for their turn. That's when one hand got to pull a strap of her bra downwards, causing the hard fabric to slide down and make her feel cold, as if the danger she's in isn't enough. She felt mute, she didn't know what happened to her voice. She couldn't shout to Isa what was happening. The men were no longer hiding their laughter and the one in front of her started reaching for her breast. That's when adrenaline came rushing at its peak.

With all the force that she can manage, Kaoru gathered all her strength to pull herself up. She head-banged the guy touching her and it was so fast nobody had stepped in to stop her on time. She did it again and the guy stumbled back, crying in pain. She felt the hold on her arms loosening, probably because of everyone's shock on her sudden bravery. She was ready to use her tied hands to smack the next thing that comes near, when the guy she head-banged was there again out of nowhere and sprawled over her. She could feel she has insulted him and his furious was visible on the hard slap that he gave her. She couldn't explain, however, why it was in slow motion and bits and pieces of her life were flashing before her. It was too late when she realized she was fainting. Her head hit the floor hard and what's worse is that it wasn't even a smooth ground. As soon as she lost consciousness, blood started pooling under her head.

"Man, we're only supposed to scare her to manipulate the ninja girl, we're not supposed to kill her."

Everyone was frozen in place and that one statement was heard in the whole warehouse. The rest of the thugs, along with Isa who was still tirelessly fighting them, stopped whatever they were doing. Everyone was waiting for the turn of events to sink in.

Due to the chaos happening below, none from the crowd noticed the lone figure watching them from the ceiling. "Maa, Jin-eh messed up again. The Kamiya girl is covered in blood, there may be a chance she is still alive, though." The boy said through the phone.

Hearing the new sound jerked everybody's heads upwards.

"Seta-sama is here? Shishio-sama will punish us!"

"What shall we do?"

"Somebody secure Jin-eh!"

"I SWEAR I DIDN'T MEAN TO KNOCK THE GIRL HARD"

Everybody spoke at the same time. Isa rushed to her friend and with everyone panicking, nobody cared anymore what she's doing. A part of her is relieved that her friend is still breathing. It was a small part, though, as she wasn't sure if these men are going to continue with their attack.

"Soujiro, is the Shinomori girl beside her friend?" It was their Shishio-sama's voice at the end of the line. He had already pictured his men destroying the plan.

"Hai" Soujiro replied.

"If we put an end to the girl's life, we lose our tool for blackmailing the girl and we will even gain an enemy. Lay back for a while and let the girl bring her friend to a hospital. She is too troubled right now to fight back. When everything's settled, we shall meet her again and by that time, we will get what we want from her. And about the cause of failure, you already know what to do with it."

"Consider it done, Shishio-sama." Soujiro turned his eyes downwards, creating a more fearful look from the boy with the innocent, smiling face. "Shishio-sama has ordered you to retreat. Remember, leave... no... trace. And make sure that the 'failure' comes with me when we get outside." Then he turned her heard in Isa's direction. "Ja, mata ne... Shinomori-san."

The branded failure tried to fight his way out, but the rest of the men made sure that he won't escape. They all know what awaits him, but they wouldn't save him for anything because each and every one of them values their lives first. They were sure the one who'd go with Soujiro would lose more than just a little finger.

Inside one of the first-class rooms in Tokyo Medical

It has been a month since Kaoru's misfortunate accident that led her into a state of comma. She gave no signs of waking up. Isa and Yahiko went to visit her everyday and while staying at the hospital, Isa met Megumi, the trainee assigned to monitor Kaoru's progress. Upon learning that the three of them are going to the same university, Megumi felt a little more attached and sympathetic to Kaoru and she decided right away to make friends with the sorrowful Isa. Well, Isa wasn't really in a sociable mood, but she was keeping a tough facade for her friend and that gained Megumi's admiration. She continued to support them in her own little ways and hoped that time will heal their wounds and give them the chance of developing a good friendship.

Megumi's observations weren't very far from the turmoil that Isa is feeling inside. Of course, she appreciates the concern that the beautiful woman shows, but it was like a huge wall started to grow around her and it's reminding her all the time to think of her priorities and nothing else. Deep inside she is dying with guilt and she can't even punish herself because she knew she had to be responsible while her friend is asleep.

While Aoshi is kind enough to send money for Kaoru's hospital bills (Isa calling it a "mere" accident), there were other matters to attend to like the Kamiya dojo and Kaoru's brother, Yahiko. Every afternoon, Isa would stay at the dojo to assist Yahiko in training Kaoru's students. Isa once insisted that Kaoru would be happy if Yahiko's the one beside her when she wakes up, but Yahiko told her that as much as he wants to dedicate all his time to his sister, he has school and the dojo to attend to and "not everyone has the luxury of doing whatever they want, knowing that money is just a call away." This really hit Isa hard. She began to realize how spoiled she is that no matter how much she gets into trouble, her Aoshi-sama is always 'a call away' to save her, fetch her from the school office, or pay for any material thing that would cheer her up. She knew the teenager meant no harm and she took it as an eye-opener to learn how to be independent. From now on, she will deal with her problems on her own. She should've listened to Kaoru from the very start. Her words still ring inside her head, "You're not in Kyoto anymore."

As Isa continues to ponder, she has also realized that Yahiko is the more important matter in this situation. She may have Aoshi and her ninja clan that's as good as a real family, but Kaoru is Yahiko's own flesh and blood. She has never thought about it before, but now it seems that more and more burdens are surfacing to add to her pile of guilt. If they are going to lose Kaoru, then Yahiko will be all alone and a lone, depressive teenager is not a good thought to visualize. The boy may be tough, but one wrong move and he may stray from the right path. This will definitely add to her heavy growing responsibilities.

Yahiko and Kaoru's parents were separated. Kaoru's mom had Yahiko and he started training at the Kamiya dojo at an early stage. When his parents died, Kaoru's father, who is already attached to the boy, decided to take him in and become his new guardian. Nobody protested because Kaoru's the only one the boy had left, and the said sister is more than happy to accept the boy in the Kamiya household. Now that Kaoru's father has passed away, the two siblings only have each other as their family. Surely, none of them would want the other to go away. Isa knows this all too well because she has always admired the closeness that she has witnessed from those two siblings. They can argue all day and still know that they love each other. Most of the time, she is actually jealous of their blood connections. She would wonder what it feels like to know that you can get close to a person without doing much effort because you are family and families don't drift apart no matter what you do.

"This is giving me a headache... What have I gotten myself into? Promise me, you'll wake up soon, Kaoru."

End of Flashback

"But it's all right now." Kaoru said with her sincerest smile. "Didn't I woke up and Megumi, you and I became the closest of friends? Yahiko's all ok with it and pestering us again." It was then that she noticed the deep sorrow that was Isa's eyes. "What are you talking about Shishio's motive? Is there something more that happened between you and that group?" She pressed.

"I had a lot of time to think about this during my visits at the hospital... To tell you the truth, Kaoru, I confronted them again and I never lost contact with them ever since." This got a horrified gasp from Kaoru. "Like I said, I've decided to deal with things on my own and not put the people I care in danger. I was so confident with my own skills and determination that I confronted them alone. It wasn't hard to find them at all. They were just there, waiting for me to show up. What has surprised me is that they wanted more, not from my ninja family, but only from me. They wanted me to do 'little favors' for them while I'm staying in Tokyo."

"The leader, Shishio Makoto, said it'd be good if they can get me to act on my own because nobody really wants to involve all the Oniwabanshu in Kyoto. That would start a huge fight and since he has admitted that he is secretly gathering trained assassins to work for him, he can't really promise that no one would get hurt. I could tell that he has other plans that he's not willing to tell me, but I couldn't ask any more when he spoke his next words. He said, 'You cannot guard your friend all the time and her little brother works part-time on a small shop who owes me. I can ask the owner anytime to hand him as his payment. The boy is strong and he'd be fit for our lifestyle. It doesn't help that you can ask him to quit the job because my men are all over you now. Let's just make things easier for the both of us. Save your Kaoru-chan from another accident.'"

"Of course I wouldn't give in that easily, I still tried to talk my way out. I told him Aoshi-sama can beat him anyway and he just gave me that sickest laugh and told me that he'll make sure to kill you before my okashira arrives in Tokyo. I already felt defeated, Kaoru."

"So I asked him again, for the hundredth time, 'why me?', 'why have me when you have all those fighters under you?' and he just told me that there's something I can do that his men cannot. He didn't say what it was, he just told me go home and think about it."

"I wanted to cry for help and to demand for more answers, but the moment he told me to go home, I felt my feet walking away from him until I was able to run outside. I ran for hours to nowhere in particular, but somehow I ended back in front of the hospital. I went straight to your room and I saw Yahiko, sleeping on the chair beside you. I saw your face, Kaoru, you were sleeping but you looked like you were in pain. As much as I hated it, I can already see myself agreeing to Shishio's deal. My best friend is suffering in the hospital and more people will suffer if I didn't agree. And it's all because I acted like a brat and picked a fight with the wrong people."

"Aww, Isa, why didn't you tell me? All this time I thought you were just overworking yourself with guilt. If only I knew that those men were threatening you... Maybe we could call the police or something." Kaoru brokenly told her friend.

"Iie, Kaoru. I'm a ninja and I know how things work in the underground society. They mean it when they say they're going to hurt you. They have people everywhere, some, you may not be aware, are just lurking beside you. Although I admit that at first I was thinking of telling you, but I know that you'd get mad and insist that we get some help, so I let go of the thought right away. I also noticed that we were being watched when we were together. I brushed it off as nothing, but deep down, I know Shishio's men are making sure that I follow his plans."

Kaoru hugged her friend and started sobbing on her shoulder. Isa felt sad about relieving the pain and finally telling her friend about it, but she noticed that she wasn't much of a crybaby anymore. She just continued patting her friend's back lovingly. "Shhhh, now you're the one crying. Please don't feel bad for me, Kaoru."

Kaoru ignored her plea and this time, she's the one who started talking.

"I knew there's a reason why a part of you became distant after the accident. When I woke up, I felt you hugging me, but when I finally focused my eyes, you were gone. Yahiko said you only went to the bathroom, but we waited and you never came back. That's when I was introduced to Megumi and I asked her to summon you. She went to the bathroom and heard terrible sobs. She knew you knew she was there, and yet none of you showed up to the other. You just continued crying inside one of the stalls and Megumi just leaned on the counter, waiting for you to calm down. When you were done crying, you told Megumi to just leave and tell me you're happy I'm ok. You went home without seeing me! After that you went back to your apartment and I've heard from your landlord that you didn't leave your place for four weeks!"

"Everyone was worried about you. When you finally showed up at the university, you had to drop a few subjects because you couldn't keep up anymore. You were obviously thinner, but you told everyone that it was just nothing and that you didn't even noticed the changes. You expertly delivered your made-up story of feeling homesick and getting carried away with your vacation in Kyoto, but I knew better. And then you went back to your cheerful self, always keeping a smiling face and a bubbly attitude for everyone to see. Soon the people around you were fooled and eventually, we started hanging out again – me, you, and now there's Megumi. You maintained this happy but warning facade that it was just threatening to bring up that incident."

"But I was never fooled, Isa. Megumi and I noticed the sad look that became permanent in your eyes. We just brushed it off, seeing that you obviously didn't want your humorless self to be known to others. As for the two of us, we became best of friends the moment we met at the university, I practically know you throughout your whole stay in Tokyo. As much as it hurts me to see you like this, I knew that if the situation is reversed, I'd rather have you maintain that happy-go-lucky side of yours, and so I never pushed the topic. But being your bestfriend, I've taken note of all the changes. The signs were all there..."

"You became obsessed when sparring, and everyone who sees you admires you, alright, but there was just this powerful energy emitting from you that makes you scary for a few minutes, like it's not you, like your world revolves around getting stronger and nothing else. It's disturbing. Your spar mates may find it intriguing and cool, but for me, it's plain scary."

"There's also this one time that I stayed in your apartment and I had to answer the phone while you were taking a bath. Now I feel bad throwing this at you, but it's important that I bring this up. A guy's voice was talking on the other side of the phone, I was mentally telling myself to tease you later, but what did I heard next? The guy turned out to be a doctor and he's telling me to remind you to NOT miss your 'session' for the third time! What is happening, Isa?"

"Ack..." Isa tried to butt in, but it seems Kaoru is not done talking.

After noticing the flinching expression on her friend, Kaoru's face became more serious, but her voice became softer, more solemn. The hint of accusation was now gone. "The worst of it all is your nails." This produced a knowing gasp from her friend. She hit the target and she believes her friend can no longer hide anything after this. "After the accident, you always keep an alcohol and a strong perfume in your bag, and your nails, you became obsessed with red nails. Megumi, being fond of red, said that maybe you were just exploring your womanly side, but to me, it looked like blood. You never tried any other shades of nail polish... It was always that same blood red that cannot escape the attention of anyone who walks in front of you."

Isa release a very long and tired sigh. She knew she would have to explain this someday. That day happens to be today. She took a deep breath to prepare herself in narrating another gruesome part of her demeanor.

"My exact deal with Shishio is that I'd be his secret assassin. My ninja training was an advantage and he would make use of it to kill those that he no longer desire to exist. He promises to avoid using me too often, so I can still focus on what he calls my 'university life' and also, to avoid being 'conspicuous'. He says a small girl like me would be unnoticeable and he just wants to experience giving orders to someone like that, he says my fresh face would do his business some good. He also told me that when I'm done with college, he will give me a final mission and that would be the end of my hell days. As if this whole deal is just another college experience."

"He would pay me serious amounts of money that I would only lock inside one of my drawers. In the end, though, I couldn't even bare thinking that it's there, so from then on, I'd burn his money right after I'm out of his sight."

"My 'missions' weren't really far from the things that we do when I'm working for the Oniwabanshu. The only difference is that the people we ninjas attack are officially branded as 'criminals' that are wanted by the police and if we ninjas ever got to hurt them, it was mainly because of self-defense. In the Juppongatana, however, not all of my targets have serious criminal records, some are just ordinary people from low ranks that managed to piss Shishio and gave him a hard time tracking them down. That's how he often makes use of me. But the most important factor here is that I don't just defend myself, I search those targets to kill them right away. And, like what Aoshi-sama points out to me whenever I show off in our missions, I've 'never killed before' and one wrong move will lead me to a lifetime of pain and consequences. Of course, back then he was always there to back me up, so I never really thought that I will ever carry that kind of burden on my shoulders."

"So it's true... it is blood that you're showing when you paint your nails like that..." By this time, Kaoru is looking at Isa intently, their hands lightly over each other and Kaoru is tracing the outline of Isa's red nails."

"Aa..." Isa took another deep breath.

"My first kill was a mess. I was a nervous wreck and I acted like I'm no expert in Martial Arts. I was ordered to kill a group of men and the first guy that I managed to hurt, didn't drop dead like he was supposed to. Instead, he continued his counterattacks and the whole lot of us were wildly fighting each other, just hurting anything that hits us. It was really done badly and the guy's blood was flying everywhere while I panic in between knocking him down and fighting the rest. I got many stabs, but I couldn't feel anything but the warm tears on my cheeks. Everything was blurry and I feel like I was already seeing in red. I wanted to faint but I had to keep moving for my survival. When I realized that nobody's fighting me back anymore, I tried to focus my eyes and saw the scattered bodies that I managed to kill. Blood was pooling everywhere. My shoes were no longer on my feet and I am standing in the middle of a sticky red pool of death. I let my knees give in, I couldn't care about my clothes at this point, I was just glad I made it alive. I absently dipped my fingers in blood, making my fingernails look like they were bloody red, too. The pain that I've been ignoring started to surface and looking at my bloodied self made me wonder how much part of this pool came from me. My mind became blank and I couldn't comprehend anything, anymore. I did the first thought that went through my mind... I started laughing."

"I didn't know where that came from. All I can think of is that I felt lust... bloodlust."

Kaoru ran out of words to say. She leaned on Isa's side, one hand holding her upper arm in a death grip, the other brushing her long loose locks on her back in a circular manner.

No matter what her friend has been through, she can never make herself disapprove of her weird behaviour. People have their good and bad sides, some even have their "strange" sides. This is all a part of who they are and at this moment, Kaoru promised herself that she will accept everything that she has learned wholeheartedly and that she will never express any discomfort towards it. She never felt herself more attached to Isa and she has never felt more trusted in her entire life. If staying at her side will ease her sorrow just one bit, then that tiny bit will meant a lot to Kaoru and she will do her best to show her friend that she is worth telling her deepest secrets.

After a few seconds of silence, Isa started giggling. "I must be sick, ne Kaoru?"

"No, you're not. No way... Don't say that..."

"Once I got used to it, I thought it was easy to shut down one's thoughts and just follow orders. I was so afraid that if I fought back, things will end the wrong way and I won't be able to see Aoshi-sama again. But in truth, I was also afraid that if I stop for even one minute to ponder, I will realize that I've gone mad and that it's the only thing that I will be from now on. I'm not everybody's sun anymore; I'm a killing machine who needs to keep herself in action because that's the only thing that I can ever be good for."

"Ne Isa, I didn't act like the shoulder-to-cry-on type of friend, did I?" Kaoru said as a sudden thought crossed her mind.

"All this time, I've been letting you wallow on your guilt alone because I thought that you were just overreacting about my accident. I didn't want to humor any drama, so I thought that if you weren't gonna tell us about it, the best way to approach it is to just leave that part of you alone and let time heal it. I've been a bad friend. I didn't see in between the lines. All this time you were keeping it inside for my sake, and all this time all I was thinking was how to recover from the trauma and make my life back to normal. I didn't realize that you were hurting so much more inside. You've done a lot and yet everything was about me... And I dare call myself your bestfriend!"

"Everything is supposed to be about you." Isa responds with a smile. "It is a ninja's duty to be responsible for his actions and to protect his loved ones from the shadows. I don't have to act like a hero to admit that I am at fault, and I am making up for it by ensuring your family's safety. Kaoru, you are my loved one here in Tokyo. You are the first person who befriended me and not treat me like a brat who is just looking for a fight. You taught me how to be independent while I am away from my hometown and from the people who pamper me. We have so many good memories together. If I let myself fall, it's because I know I am doing it for the right person. You deserved to live and you deserved happiness. No matter how many crimes I did, I cannot bring myself to regret anything because I know that I have protected that smile on your face. I have saved a friend's life and a boy from losing his only family. I have no blood relative, so I know its value all too well. You are the living proof that I am still doing a good cause."

Tears were threatening to fall from Kaoru's eyes. She used to feel that she was an ordinary girl with no significance in this world. To hear a friend regard her with so much love and importance felt so unreal.

She was out of words. She was showered with so much passion and honesty that she felt it wrong to mouth false, comforting words. She knew at the moment that she has no answer to Isa's problems. And so she did the only thing that she could manage, she pleaded with her eyes and showed all here emotions through its depths. Isa got the message and understood that her friend is struggling for words, asking if there is still a way to drag her away from all this.

"I don't think I can still be saved, Kaoru. At least not now. I would like to think that there is still hope for me, but hoping is another emotion that kills me from the inside. Right now, all I want to do is to keep my facade, and do well on both my real life, my studies, and my secret life. I'm at the point where I am tired resisting, but I am also tired of moving and following. That's why I finally told you all of this. Something tells me that this change will give birth to another hope that will be healthy for me, for a change. That's why all I'm asking of you is to stay by my side to be the friend that I need you to be... to stay as my connection to a bit of normalcy."

By this time, Kaoru's tears have already escaped her eyes. Isa followed its path with her eyes until they formed a darkening patch on the fabric where it fell upon.

"And trust me, Kaoru, you are doing a great job. Your eyes held no accusation and that is more than enough."

"Maa, Kaoru, please stop with that sad look. You don't want me to cry again, do you? Besides, being sad over me is bad for your health. I am trying my best to stay sane, anyway, I promise. What are all those 'sessions' for if I'm gonna give up and lose myself easily? I just miss Aoshi-sama, that's all. He's the reason why I practice kodachis more often than kunais, you know. My biggest fear is that he won't like me anymore when he finds out and all that'll be left are mere memories. I mastered the weapon to make it my new companion. I guess deep inside, I just want more of him to stay by my side. I was wishing so badly that my weapon was Aoshi-sama himself, never losing his hold on my tainted hands."

This didn't help as Kaoru sobbed more, wetting her clothes in a very unlady-like manner.

"Come on, Kaoru, don't feel sorry for me now. There's no point in sinking lower in this quicksand of mine. I need you as my hold on 'normalcy'. At least when I'm with you and Megumi, I can act like a part of the society. I can be the clumsy but outstanding university student that I've always been and I can hang out with you girls and do things that normal students enjoys... things like our obligatory slumber party!"

"I know, Isa. Goddammit, I know. This is just sad... so sad... that's all." Kaoru tried to keep her voice clear. The last thing she needs is to ruin the drama with her clogged nose causing difficulty in her breathing and talking. Unknown to her, Isa is already smiling inside because of her animated eyes becoming round, shiny, and watery.

So Kaoru tried again,

"I guess, that's it then. We'll keep things 'normal' between us and act like nothing happened... [insert unpleasant sniffing here] But if they ever fucking hurt you, Isa, you need to tell me, ok... [more sniffs] I'll be the good best friend from now on!"

"And about... dare I call it your 'dreams'. As long as you acknowledge that you are dreaming and that you're not giving in, it may take time, lots of it, but as long as you hold on, you can assure yourself that someday you will wake up. And the best feeling is when you have finally opened your eyes and realize that the nightmare is damn over."

"I believe you." Isa responds with a sad smile. Only this time, there's a positive light showing in her eyes.

"I really hope so. I always daydream of the day I'd wake up to be back in my cosy room in Kyoto, to hug Aoshi-sama before eating breakfast with him, of course cooked by my fave cook Okon, and then to practice throwing my kunais with the rest of my ninja family. To go on what I used to think as 'badass missions' but remain safe because Aoshi-sama is on my side."

"Hey if you're going to daydream, might as well make your Aoshi-sama fall in love with you when he sees you all grown up! Ohohohohohoho~!" Kaoru laughed Megumi's infamous laugh to start brightening up the mood. This proved to be effective as Isa laughed, too, in the same Megumi-tone, and both girls smiled on what felt like their first breather since this heavy revelation.

"Isa, you have grown up now. You're much more mature than a lot of people I know and I'm sure even if I haven't met that Aoshi-sama of yours, he will understand what you've been through and Aoshi-san will still care for you!"

"I hope so Kaoru, I hope so. Before I go back to Kyoto, I'm gonna do something about this, once and for all. I'm gonna talk my way out to Shishio and I promise I will find a way to do this while keeping you safe. If I have to beg for that dreadful conditionthat he's been heating up for me, then so be it. I don't plan on doing this forever, I'm gonna be back to my hometown soon. No matter what happens, I swear I'm gonna find a way back to my old life."

By this time, the two were past the drama stage. Kaoru hugged Isa, not as tight as before, but promises more sincerity and support. "Just be safe, Isa. Be safe for me."

The two went inside to call it a night. They lay down on each side of a deeply asleep Megumi. They snuggled on the unaware woman like little girls enjoying an older sister's warmth.

In the middle of the silence, Isa spoke her goodnight words, "Ne Kaoru, I'm sorry for making you a laughing stock earlier. I know you're afraid of the dark because of the incident..."

Kaoru shut her off with her sleepy words, "Nevermind, nevermind."

Isa smiles and then let herself fall asleep.

A few minutes later, dawn came.


Author's Notes:

I changed the title from No More Secrets to A Ninja Girl's Romantic Story(based from Meiji Swordsman Romantic Story). I know, I can be so indecisive. But then the first one just doesn't sound right from the very start. It also bothered me that there are other fics out there with the same title. ^^

I also know this is exaggeratedly long, but I didn't mean this intentionally, the details just got carried away and as I reread the whole thing, I feel like all of it deserved to be in this chapter. So if you read everything that I've written, thank you, from the bottom of my heart. This chapter plays a small role in explaining the flow of the story, and an even smaller role in showing its progress, but it is filled with things that are personally attached to me and it meant a great deal to finally upload it.

Nightmares are something that has always been a part of me. Sometimes I don't know if I should be pleased or regretful that I often remember my dreams when I woke up. Lucid dreaming is the state when you know that you are dreaming. This has happened to me some time, too. Isa's dream is actually based on a real one, only edited to fit the circumstances in this story. And last but not the least, this fic is dedicated to my dog who died last September. I've been writing this chapter since then and this is the longest time it took me to write a chapter so far, so I'm sorry if it can be dramatic, but I just had to let all the stress and sadness that's building up inside and ended up pouring my emotions in this fic.

Anyway, after letting this chapter stay idle for a while, focusing on school (which is the main source of stress), and going back to reading other Aoshi-Misao fanfics, I have realized that the number one reason why I am enjoying Aoshi-Misao fanfiction is that is has become an escape route to stress. In other words, I have realized how important it is to keep a fic "light". I don't want real-life burdens to extend on my pastimes (aka fanfic), therefore, I promise (at least for the next few chapters) to keep everything more cheerful and Misao-like. :)

Thank you for reading! Please review so I'll know how to improve!