Disclaimer! I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, but I am in love with Aoshi
Shinomori.
Strange and Beautiful
Chapter 4
I know that it has been awhile, but here it is! I hope you enjoy!!
GONE?!
Aoshi turned over slightly and opened his eyes only to quickly close them and moan as the rays of sun coming from his window touched their sensitivity. He almost tucked the covers over his head and went back to sleep when realization dawned on him. He sat up abruptly and ran towards the window which faced the garden to see Okina pruning one of the many plants in the beautiful garden that was the pride of the elderly Oniwabanshuu member. Okina had been like a father to him ever since his own parents had been killed when he was a small child. Okina had took him in and taught him every thing that he knew. For that Aoshi would be eternally grateful. He still hung his head in shame when he thought about how he had almost killed Okina.
As if he felt his presence, the old man looked up towards the window feigning surprise.
"Aoshi?" he yelled. "I thought that you were already at the temple today? Do you know what time it is?"
Aoshi glanced around and noticed the position of the sun in the sky and determined that it was close to mid afternoon. He had never slept that late! He quickly turned from the window and dressed immediately. He wished to talk to Okina about Misao but he did not expect to oversleep. Once he was dressed he went down immediately to the Aoiya, praying that he didn't see Misao along the way until he had spoken to Okina.
Aoshi noticed that the Aoiya was deserted, when usually around this time it would be overcrowded. The kitchen was vacant as well. The dishes were still clean, nothing had been moved. Aoshi knew something was wrong.
Misao! His mind screamed. Where was she? Where had everyone gone?
Aoshi immediately walked to the garden and found Okina standing under a pagoda tree with a look of deep thought upon his wise features. The sun shown through the tree and bathed the old man in patches of surreal light. The light seemed to make him appear wiser than normal. Like some fairytale wizard. Aoshi started towards him when Okina replied.
"She's gone," he said calmly as he continued to stare into nothing as he stood under the tree.
Aoshi halted as he felt his heart stop beating. Misao was gone? Had he driven her away? Of course he had. Immediately Aoshi felt a guiltiness so consuming that it threatened to weaken him.
"She went to the Kamiya Dojo to stay with Kaoru and Kenshin for awhile. Omasu and the others went with her to the train to see her off. She left some time ago. The next train should be arriving soon if you wanted to visit Kenshin as well. Aoshi smiled internally. In his own subtle way Okina had given him his blessing to court Misao, but he still felt unworthy of her love.
"Aoshi a man regrets many things in his life. And when you get to be my age, you realize what things are truly important. I guess what I am saying to you is to not be regretful. No matter how much you try to justify it, being with someone is much better than being lonely." With that said Okina retreated further back into the garden.
Aoshi pondered his words and then abruptly turned and headed towards the train station. He had taken no more than three steps when he heard Okina yell out to him. "Mr. Fujita came by here earlier today also and stated that he needed to discuss something with you once you arrived at the dojo as well."
Saitou? What could the ex Shinsengumi leader want with him? Aoshi had a bad feeling as he walked towards the train station. He knew that things would only get worst before they would become better.
*********** ********** *********** *********** ************ **************
Misao sat by the window of the train and stared out at the beautiful and serene countryside. She let her mind wander effortlessly back to her last encounter with Aoshi. When he grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away from him, she felt weak, breathless. A shock of pleasure and longing for more contact from him passed through her with so much intensity.
And she hated it.
She hated that he had such a hold on her.
She hated that she loved him so much.
Why did she have to fall so hard for a person who wanted nothing to do with her? Last night she had come back to Aoiya, went to her room and cried her eyes out. When morning came, she had already packed her things and resolved to cry no more for a love that would never be.
Kaoru and Kenshin had told her that she could visit anytime she wanted so now seemed like a perfect time than any. She wanted and needed to have some distance from Aoshi. Maybe she would be able to move on if she didn't have to see him everyday. Of course she would be showing up unexpected at the Kamiya Dojo but she didn't think that Kaoru or Kenshin would mind. Besides she had sent a carrier pigeon ahead of her early this morning apologizing for the unexpected intrusion.
Her mind continued to wander as she stared blindly out of her window.
"Is anyone sitting here?" A masculine voice asked.
Misao cringed at the sound of the voice. Could her week not get any worse? She knew whom the voice belonged to without looking away from the picturesque view of the lush Japanese countryside.
"Weasel, I asked you a question," said Hajime Saitou, also known as Gorou Fujita. His narrow amber eyes stared at Misao as she continued to keep her back to him as she looked out of the window.
"And if I said that it was taken?" She asked nonchalantly.
"I would just sit down anyway," he stated as he took his seat across from her by the window.
They sat in silence for minutes until he finally replied again.
"I might as well just get up and go sit somewhere else weasel if you are not going to provide me with any conversation."
Misao rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat to face him. She really wanted to spend the rest of the trip in silence. She had too much on her mind and needed time to think. Hajime Saitou was not a good distraction. She was actually cherishing the few minutes that he remained quiet.
"You know Saitou it would make the rest of my trip so much more pleasant if you did just that. I am sure that there are many people aboard this train who would just love your company."
"Sarcasm does not suit you well weasel. Why are you so damn cocky? Furthermore, where are you going? I don't see your precious Shinomori around. Heaven forbid that he is somewhere without his shadow."
Misao was starting to see red. She quickly closed her eyes and counted to ten to try and calm herself down. She was not angry at Saitou for what he said, she was angry because it was true. She HAD been following Aoshi around constantly. What humiliated her more than anything was that he knew and everyone knew that she had been chasing him like some love sick puppy and now she was sure that everyone at the Aoiya was thinking, poor Misao. She didn't need to feel their pity or Aoshi's. She needed to get away for as long as it took to get over him.
"Weasel?"
Misao rolled her eyes again. She had forgotten that he was still sitting there.
"You'll still here?"
"What is wrong with you weasel? Shinomori finally succeeded in breaking your heart completely this time?"
His question caught her off guard as she looked into amber depths.
She suddenly felt a wave of sadness and quickly looked away as tears began to fill her eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said surprised that her voice came out sounding sterner than she felt.
Saitou seemed to have taken a hint and dropped the subject.
"I take it that you are heading to visit the Battousai and his woman?"
She nodded. "Why were you here in Kyoto? Isn't your command post near where Kenshin lives?"
"Yes, but I was taking care of some police business. In fact, I came to the Aoiya looking for Shinomori earlier this morning, but the old man, Okina told me that Aoshi would be coming to visit Kenshin so I decided to head back and wait for him there."
All Misao heard was that Aoshi would be visiting Kenshin.
AOSHI WOULD BE VISITING KENSHIN!!
Misao started to hyperventilate. Suddenly everything seemed a blur and the last thing she remembered was Saitou calling her name before her world was penetrated with darkness.
********* *********** ********** ************ ************ **************** *************** Misao woke up to see Saitou standing over her with a look of concern across his features.
"What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up only to be hit with a wave of dizziness that caused her to fall back onto the seat that she was lying across.
"You fainted," stated Saitou in his usual nonchalant voice.
"I gathered that much, but why?"
Saitou was about to reply when she heard a deep voice behind her reply.
"Damn Misao, you sure did fill out rather nicely!"
"YAHIKO! WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Kaoru yelled some distance away.
Misao smiled and sat up quickly ignoring the dizziness to face Yahiko.
To her side stood Little Yahiko only now he was Big Yahiko. Big handsome Yahiko.
"You don't look so bad yourself Yahiko. I guess that I won't be able to call you little Yahiko anymore huh?"
Yahiko smiled and blushed considerably.
"Mi Mi!" Yelled Kenji as he ran forward and hugged Misao's legs.
"Kenji! My, my, you have grown up as well," she said as she picked up the laughing 3 year old and gave him a big hug as well.
"Mi Mi!" He exclaimed smiling happily.
"Misao!" Kaoru sat down beside her and gave her a humongous hug that encompassed her and Kenji together. Kenji giggled some more. It amazed Misao how much the little boy child resembled his father.
"We are happy that you have come to visit us Misao, that we are," said Kenshin as he stood some feet away in the walkway of the train beside Yahiko.
"Thanks Himura. I hope that I am not intruding?"
"Nonsense! We have been waiting for you to visit us. It's been so long since your last visit and Kenji has been asking about you everyday," said Kaoru.
"Mi Mi!" Exclaimed Kenji again as he hugged Misao around her neck.
Misao closed her eyes and held the child tightly in her arms. God, this is what she wanted. She wanted to someday have a family like this. To have a son or a daughter with the man that she loved. A son who resembled Aoshi and a daughter that resembled her.
AOSHI! Suddenly things started coming back to her.
"Ahem!"
Everyone looked towards Saitou who was standing across the cabin from where Misao, Kenji and Kaoru sat with his arms folded across his chest.
"This is touching and all, but I feel as though I am becoming nauseous and this train does have a schedule to keep, so can we all please exit. I have some business that I need to discuss with the Battousai."
Misao rolled her eyes at Saitou as she gave Kenji to Kaoru because she did not trust herself to stand, let alone with a child.
She tested her legs and stood up with help from Saitou as he held her arm for support.
Kaoru stood up with Kenji and addressed Misao as Saitou removed her bags from the storage compartment above their heads.
"When we arrived at the train station Saitou yelled for us to come aboard because you had fainted. He said that you slept the whole trip. Are you ok Misao?"
Misao nodded her head. Actually she was not ok. She had remembered why she fainted in the first place. She was trying to get away from Aoshi and here he was headed on his way to the only place where she could find some solitude. What was she going to do? She needed to speak to Kaoru in private. Kaoru always knew what to do.
************** *************** *************** ****************** **********************
They exited the train and used Saitou's carriage to ride to the dojo. Kenshin stayed outside the gate to speak with Saitou in private as Kaoru, Kenji, Misao and Yahiko went inside.
"What is it Saitou? What business do you have with me?"
"Are you not going to ask me inside, for old time's sake? Maybe we can reminisce about the good ole days over some Sake?"
"Saitou, we never had any 'good ole days,' and I would much rather forget the olden days than to sit down and reminisce about them with you."
Saitou smirked as he stood leaning across the bamboo fence that surrounded the dojo. He and Kenshin could never be alone with one another for more than a few minutes. They were too much alike. Saitou wished that he could forget the past as well, but he could not run away from what made him the man he was today. He knew that Kenshin had devoted his life to protecting the innocent and had sworn to never kill another soul, but Saitou could not make that promise. He had taken a vow to slay evil immediately, no matter what, and he had to stick to it.
"Your loss," he shrugged his shoulders and reached inside his pocket for his cigarettes. He lit one and took a long drawl before he spoke again.
"It seems that Shinomori was more busy than usual after his first fight with you. On his quest to gain more strength to defeat you and become 'The Best,' he did a lot of evil things along the way. One of those 'things' has come back to haunt him."
Kenshin absorbed the info with calmness. He knew that Aoshi had done some terrible things in order to prepare himself to fight him during the battle with Shishio but he did not know to what extent. Aoshi's eyes had been pure evil when they fought last and Kenshin had silently prayed that he could bring him back to Misao.
"Have you told Misao about this?"
Saitou took another drag on his cigarette and released the smoke, "no, I did not deem it necessary. Besides she worships him so much, she doesn't believe that he could do any wrong."
"Does Aoshi know this?"
"No. I went there earlier today but Okina told me that Aoshi was on his way here. I was surprised to find Misao alone by herself on the train, but it appears that she and Shinomori had some type of argument. He should be arriving later on today on the next train because he was not on the one that Misao and I were aboard. I was going to come by tomorrow to inform him."
"How bad is it?"
Saitou dropped the cigarette and put it out by grinding it into the dirt road. He then held glazes with Kenshin.
"Very bad."
Strange and Beautiful
Chapter 4
I know that it has been awhile, but here it is! I hope you enjoy!!
GONE?!
Aoshi turned over slightly and opened his eyes only to quickly close them and moan as the rays of sun coming from his window touched their sensitivity. He almost tucked the covers over his head and went back to sleep when realization dawned on him. He sat up abruptly and ran towards the window which faced the garden to see Okina pruning one of the many plants in the beautiful garden that was the pride of the elderly Oniwabanshuu member. Okina had been like a father to him ever since his own parents had been killed when he was a small child. Okina had took him in and taught him every thing that he knew. For that Aoshi would be eternally grateful. He still hung his head in shame when he thought about how he had almost killed Okina.
As if he felt his presence, the old man looked up towards the window feigning surprise.
"Aoshi?" he yelled. "I thought that you were already at the temple today? Do you know what time it is?"
Aoshi glanced around and noticed the position of the sun in the sky and determined that it was close to mid afternoon. He had never slept that late! He quickly turned from the window and dressed immediately. He wished to talk to Okina about Misao but he did not expect to oversleep. Once he was dressed he went down immediately to the Aoiya, praying that he didn't see Misao along the way until he had spoken to Okina.
Aoshi noticed that the Aoiya was deserted, when usually around this time it would be overcrowded. The kitchen was vacant as well. The dishes were still clean, nothing had been moved. Aoshi knew something was wrong.
Misao! His mind screamed. Where was she? Where had everyone gone?
Aoshi immediately walked to the garden and found Okina standing under a pagoda tree with a look of deep thought upon his wise features. The sun shown through the tree and bathed the old man in patches of surreal light. The light seemed to make him appear wiser than normal. Like some fairytale wizard. Aoshi started towards him when Okina replied.
"She's gone," he said calmly as he continued to stare into nothing as he stood under the tree.
Aoshi halted as he felt his heart stop beating. Misao was gone? Had he driven her away? Of course he had. Immediately Aoshi felt a guiltiness so consuming that it threatened to weaken him.
"She went to the Kamiya Dojo to stay with Kaoru and Kenshin for awhile. Omasu and the others went with her to the train to see her off. She left some time ago. The next train should be arriving soon if you wanted to visit Kenshin as well. Aoshi smiled internally. In his own subtle way Okina had given him his blessing to court Misao, but he still felt unworthy of her love.
"Aoshi a man regrets many things in his life. And when you get to be my age, you realize what things are truly important. I guess what I am saying to you is to not be regretful. No matter how much you try to justify it, being with someone is much better than being lonely." With that said Okina retreated further back into the garden.
Aoshi pondered his words and then abruptly turned and headed towards the train station. He had taken no more than three steps when he heard Okina yell out to him. "Mr. Fujita came by here earlier today also and stated that he needed to discuss something with you once you arrived at the dojo as well."
Saitou? What could the ex Shinsengumi leader want with him? Aoshi had a bad feeling as he walked towards the train station. He knew that things would only get worst before they would become better.
*********** ********** *********** *********** ************ **************
Misao sat by the window of the train and stared out at the beautiful and serene countryside. She let her mind wander effortlessly back to her last encounter with Aoshi. When he grabbed her arm as she tried to walk away from him, she felt weak, breathless. A shock of pleasure and longing for more contact from him passed through her with so much intensity.
And she hated it.
She hated that he had such a hold on her.
She hated that she loved him so much.
Why did she have to fall so hard for a person who wanted nothing to do with her? Last night she had come back to Aoiya, went to her room and cried her eyes out. When morning came, she had already packed her things and resolved to cry no more for a love that would never be.
Kaoru and Kenshin had told her that she could visit anytime she wanted so now seemed like a perfect time than any. She wanted and needed to have some distance from Aoshi. Maybe she would be able to move on if she didn't have to see him everyday. Of course she would be showing up unexpected at the Kamiya Dojo but she didn't think that Kaoru or Kenshin would mind. Besides she had sent a carrier pigeon ahead of her early this morning apologizing for the unexpected intrusion.
Her mind continued to wander as she stared blindly out of her window.
"Is anyone sitting here?" A masculine voice asked.
Misao cringed at the sound of the voice. Could her week not get any worse? She knew whom the voice belonged to without looking away from the picturesque view of the lush Japanese countryside.
"Weasel, I asked you a question," said Hajime Saitou, also known as Gorou Fujita. His narrow amber eyes stared at Misao as she continued to keep her back to him as she looked out of the window.
"And if I said that it was taken?" She asked nonchalantly.
"I would just sit down anyway," he stated as he took his seat across from her by the window.
They sat in silence for minutes until he finally replied again.
"I might as well just get up and go sit somewhere else weasel if you are not going to provide me with any conversation."
Misao rolled her eyes and sat back in her seat to face him. She really wanted to spend the rest of the trip in silence. She had too much on her mind and needed time to think. Hajime Saitou was not a good distraction. She was actually cherishing the few minutes that he remained quiet.
"You know Saitou it would make the rest of my trip so much more pleasant if you did just that. I am sure that there are many people aboard this train who would just love your company."
"Sarcasm does not suit you well weasel. Why are you so damn cocky? Furthermore, where are you going? I don't see your precious Shinomori around. Heaven forbid that he is somewhere without his shadow."
Misao was starting to see red. She quickly closed her eyes and counted to ten to try and calm herself down. She was not angry at Saitou for what he said, she was angry because it was true. She HAD been following Aoshi around constantly. What humiliated her more than anything was that he knew and everyone knew that she had been chasing him like some love sick puppy and now she was sure that everyone at the Aoiya was thinking, poor Misao. She didn't need to feel their pity or Aoshi's. She needed to get away for as long as it took to get over him.
"Weasel?"
Misao rolled her eyes again. She had forgotten that he was still sitting there.
"You'll still here?"
"What is wrong with you weasel? Shinomori finally succeeded in breaking your heart completely this time?"
His question caught her off guard as she looked into amber depths.
She suddenly felt a wave of sadness and quickly looked away as tears began to fill her eyes.
"I don't want to talk about it," she said surprised that her voice came out sounding sterner than she felt.
Saitou seemed to have taken a hint and dropped the subject.
"I take it that you are heading to visit the Battousai and his woman?"
She nodded. "Why were you here in Kyoto? Isn't your command post near where Kenshin lives?"
"Yes, but I was taking care of some police business. In fact, I came to the Aoiya looking for Shinomori earlier this morning, but the old man, Okina told me that Aoshi would be coming to visit Kenshin so I decided to head back and wait for him there."
All Misao heard was that Aoshi would be visiting Kenshin.
AOSHI WOULD BE VISITING KENSHIN!!
Misao started to hyperventilate. Suddenly everything seemed a blur and the last thing she remembered was Saitou calling her name before her world was penetrated with darkness.
********* *********** ********** ************ ************ **************** *************** Misao woke up to see Saitou standing over her with a look of concern across his features.
"What happened?" She asked as she tried to sit up only to be hit with a wave of dizziness that caused her to fall back onto the seat that she was lying across.
"You fainted," stated Saitou in his usual nonchalant voice.
"I gathered that much, but why?"
Saitou was about to reply when she heard a deep voice behind her reply.
"Damn Misao, you sure did fill out rather nicely!"
"YAHIKO! WATCH YOUR MOUTH!" Kaoru yelled some distance away.
Misao smiled and sat up quickly ignoring the dizziness to face Yahiko.
To her side stood Little Yahiko only now he was Big Yahiko. Big handsome Yahiko.
"You don't look so bad yourself Yahiko. I guess that I won't be able to call you little Yahiko anymore huh?"
Yahiko smiled and blushed considerably.
"Mi Mi!" Yelled Kenji as he ran forward and hugged Misao's legs.
"Kenji! My, my, you have grown up as well," she said as she picked up the laughing 3 year old and gave him a big hug as well.
"Mi Mi!" He exclaimed smiling happily.
"Misao!" Kaoru sat down beside her and gave her a humongous hug that encompassed her and Kenji together. Kenji giggled some more. It amazed Misao how much the little boy child resembled his father.
"We are happy that you have come to visit us Misao, that we are," said Kenshin as he stood some feet away in the walkway of the train beside Yahiko.
"Thanks Himura. I hope that I am not intruding?"
"Nonsense! We have been waiting for you to visit us. It's been so long since your last visit and Kenji has been asking about you everyday," said Kaoru.
"Mi Mi!" Exclaimed Kenji again as he hugged Misao around her neck.
Misao closed her eyes and held the child tightly in her arms. God, this is what she wanted. She wanted to someday have a family like this. To have a son or a daughter with the man that she loved. A son who resembled Aoshi and a daughter that resembled her.
AOSHI! Suddenly things started coming back to her.
"Ahem!"
Everyone looked towards Saitou who was standing across the cabin from where Misao, Kenji and Kaoru sat with his arms folded across his chest.
"This is touching and all, but I feel as though I am becoming nauseous and this train does have a schedule to keep, so can we all please exit. I have some business that I need to discuss with the Battousai."
Misao rolled her eyes at Saitou as she gave Kenji to Kaoru because she did not trust herself to stand, let alone with a child.
She tested her legs and stood up with help from Saitou as he held her arm for support.
Kaoru stood up with Kenji and addressed Misao as Saitou removed her bags from the storage compartment above their heads.
"When we arrived at the train station Saitou yelled for us to come aboard because you had fainted. He said that you slept the whole trip. Are you ok Misao?"
Misao nodded her head. Actually she was not ok. She had remembered why she fainted in the first place. She was trying to get away from Aoshi and here he was headed on his way to the only place where she could find some solitude. What was she going to do? She needed to speak to Kaoru in private. Kaoru always knew what to do.
************** *************** *************** ****************** **********************
They exited the train and used Saitou's carriage to ride to the dojo. Kenshin stayed outside the gate to speak with Saitou in private as Kaoru, Kenji, Misao and Yahiko went inside.
"What is it Saitou? What business do you have with me?"
"Are you not going to ask me inside, for old time's sake? Maybe we can reminisce about the good ole days over some Sake?"
"Saitou, we never had any 'good ole days,' and I would much rather forget the olden days than to sit down and reminisce about them with you."
Saitou smirked as he stood leaning across the bamboo fence that surrounded the dojo. He and Kenshin could never be alone with one another for more than a few minutes. They were too much alike. Saitou wished that he could forget the past as well, but he could not run away from what made him the man he was today. He knew that Kenshin had devoted his life to protecting the innocent and had sworn to never kill another soul, but Saitou could not make that promise. He had taken a vow to slay evil immediately, no matter what, and he had to stick to it.
"Your loss," he shrugged his shoulders and reached inside his pocket for his cigarettes. He lit one and took a long drawl before he spoke again.
"It seems that Shinomori was more busy than usual after his first fight with you. On his quest to gain more strength to defeat you and become 'The Best,' he did a lot of evil things along the way. One of those 'things' has come back to haunt him."
Kenshin absorbed the info with calmness. He knew that Aoshi had done some terrible things in order to prepare himself to fight him during the battle with Shishio but he did not know to what extent. Aoshi's eyes had been pure evil when they fought last and Kenshin had silently prayed that he could bring him back to Misao.
"Have you told Misao about this?"
Saitou took another drag on his cigarette and released the smoke, "no, I did not deem it necessary. Besides she worships him so much, she doesn't believe that he could do any wrong."
"Does Aoshi know this?"
"No. I went there earlier today but Okina told me that Aoshi was on his way here. I was surprised to find Misao alone by herself on the train, but it appears that she and Shinomori had some type of argument. He should be arriving later on today on the next train because he was not on the one that Misao and I were aboard. I was going to come by tomorrow to inform him."
"How bad is it?"
Saitou dropped the cigarette and put it out by grinding it into the dirt road. He then held glazes with Kenshin.
"Very bad."