Chapter 7
Disclaimer.I do not own Aoshi Shinomori, or Rurouni Kenshin.
However, I do own my characters that I created, Mai Ying and Nitsugi.
NOTE** Yutarou is not the Yutarou in the series. Someone had asked me if this was the same Yutarou but it is not. I was watching an old episode of Inuyasha, the one with the water demon and the water god, and I think that the little boy's name was Master Yutarou so for lack of placing in another name, I used that one. Yutarou is older than Yahiko by about three years.
Wasting My Time
"I don't think you understand, that what you're doing is not so cool. You think it's funny to mess with my mind, don't you? You know I like you, so you just tease me. You give me just enough to hang on and on. When you're just wasting my time. You're simply wasting my time. So quit wasting my time."
Song lyrics by.
Boomkat-'Waisting My Time.'
** * * * * *
Aoshi sat down upon the western style bed in his room at the Akubeiko inn and rubbed his aching temples. He was beginning to get a headache. The thought of Misao out with some young horny inexperienced brat plagued his thoughts constantly ever since Kenshin had told him of her date. But what was he worried about? Misao could take care of herself. Normally he would not be this worried but he had all but pushed her into the unknown young man's arms. An unknown young man whose arms would be all over Misao not to mention his hands. He became sick at the mere ideal and thought. There was no way that he was going to get any rest tonight. He could track her down and watch her. Just to make sure that she was ok. Right?
He quickly changed his mind. Who was he to interfere in her life when it best suited him? He had no right. His eyes landed on the dark brown folder that was placed upon his wooden dresser. He had placed it there upon entry. His mind flashed back to earlier that morning in Saitou's office.
He stared at the dark brown folder for what seemed like hours before he had finally admonished enough courage to open it. There inside lay one of the skeletons of his past that he had prayed that would stay buried. forever. He stared at the name on the top of the file as past memories from a life long ago replayed in his mind. A life in which he never wanted to return. A life of evil and darkness. But there was one thing good that came out that evil. There was a beacon of light that had guided him out of the darkness many times. If it was not for that light he might not have been saved by Himura. He might have killed Okina and he would have never made it back into Misao's heart.
Mai Ying.
He had met her during the time in his life when he had been searching blindly. When he had been training himself to become the best. She had cared for him, brought him back from death many times and she had risked her own life for him in the process. She had loved him. But he was not to be loved. He was cold, hard, and cruel. He only took solace in her body when he needed to, nothing more. He had treated her as if she was nothing more than a beautiful geisha girl to sate his lust after a battle.
She was beautiful, caring, sweet, had beguiling dark chocolate brown eyes and skin as soft as the Chinese silk that she often wore. She had tried to make him see the error of his ways. She had tried to get him to change. When he had waked up from nightmares shamelessly crying for Hyottoko, Beshimi, Shikijou and Hanya, she had held him in her arms and rocked him silently whispering sweet endearments until he had fell back to sleep.
He remembered the day when she had confessed her love to him. The monster that he was had left her crying and broken upon the grass covered ground as he had walked away from her never to look back. He had regretted that day many times. He still had nightmares from it. She reminded him so much of Misao. When he had first met her he saw the brightness and love within her eyes and she did not even know who he was at the time. She had treated his broken and blood soaked body risking death from the neighboring warlords by secretly housing him within her home. It was not until later that he had learned of her combat skills. She had told him that she was once a hired assassin, but she had chosen to leave that life behind her and become a farmer.
He had gone to China to learn some new fighting skills and decided to practice them out on the neighboring warriors of the village warlords. She had found him after a fierce battle and had brought him back to life and taught him a few skills of her own. His life with her was what most men dreamed of having but he was not most men. He was Aoshi Shinomori, leader of the Oniwabanshuu. He was not allowed to be happy. He had a mission to complete. He had to win the title of the stronger and the best for his fallen comrades who had died because of him.
When she had told him that she loved him and begged for him not to leave, he had spoken coldly to her and called her a whore. He saw the pain in her face and it hurt him deeply but he made himself even colder. So cold in fact that it was as if he was watching a doppelganger of himself from far away.
She had cried then and he had blocked out her words, turned on his heel and left. It was the last he had seen or heard of her until today.
Now according to the information in the folder, she was now leading one of the most profitable opium trades in the known world. What had happened to the beautiful young woman who had told him that she had seen too much blood shed and had settled down to become a farmer. He knew what had happened. He had happened. It was his fault that Mai Ying had decided to discard everything. What had he told her that day? Yes, he remembered it clearly. He was staring down at her sprawled out on the ground. "Aoshi, you can't go back like this. There is still good within you," she pleaded. He had simply replied in a voice so devoid of emotion, "The little bit of good that was within me, ceased to exist before I ever came to know of you." "That is not true. I know it is not. I know that you care for me."
"I did not. I only pretended to."
At the fallen look upon her face he was someone possessed by the devil to go further with his cold words and to hurt her even more.
"I pretended to care in order for you to care for me. Tell me, would you have risked your life to house a complete stranger that showed no concern for you?"
Upon the crest fallen look upon her face he had turned to leave while she screamed at him.
Now she had gone back into a life that she had vowed never to return to, because of him.
Also within the folder was Nitsugi. Mai Ying's former master. Nitsugi was known far and wide for training some of the best ninjas in the world and Mai Ying had been his prize and joy. She had informed him while he was with her that in order to leave him she had to fake her own death. Now she was not using an alias and going by her real name. He was sure that Nitsugi had heard of her by now, especially if Saitou had found out about her. What was Mai Ying thinking? Surly she knew this. He had to reason with her. He had to reach her and bring her back from the darkness before it consumed her completely. He had to return the favor.
******** ********** ************** ************ ************* *********
Misao tried her best on focus on dinner but her mind kept wandering back to Aoshi. Yahiko, Tsumbame, Yutarou and she had come to a western style restaurant in town for dinner. They were all seated at one of the western style tables with chairs. As their dinner was brought to them her mind focused back to Aoshi again. What was he doing? Saitou had told her that he was coming here, but why? She had taken his advice and had gone away to give herself some time to get over him and what did he do? He followed her.
'Damn him! Damn damn!'
"Misao?"
Misao was startled out of her thoughts of the tall dark handsome ninja only to be faced with the face of a sweet handsome young man that sat across from her.
"Yutarou."
"Are you alright. You were making some very angry faces a few seconds ago. Are you still mad at me?"
"No," she said waving her hand in front of her, "I am not."
"I was just thinking about something, Yutarou."
"Boy I am sure glad that I am not the something that made you mad," he said jokingly. "You were making some serious faces there."
Misao laughed.
"I though you were beautiful when you were angry, but you are even more beautiful when you laugh," he said breathlessly.
Misao stopped her laughing at his serious statement. She stared at him thinking, 'God, how I wish Aoshi would say something like that to me.'
She stopped the thought as soon as it came and mentally berated herself for thinking of Aoshi when it obvious that Yutarou was paying her compliment because he liked her. She liked him to, but not in that way. True, he was handsome and sweet but she could not forget Aoshi so soon. She was physically attracted to Yutarou but that was as far as it went. Still that did not mean that she could not have a little fun, right?
She smiled at Yutarou and thanked him for the compliment still blushing profusely. Many men had complimented her on her looks since she had become a woman and she always found herself wondering why the person whom she wanted to compliment her the most had not.
She took a slip of wine from her cup and glanced around the room. At the far end of the room she spotted the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Tall, dark skin, almond shaped eyes and long sleek black hair hung down the back of her red silk dress with gold embroidery shaped like a dragon. She was stunning. Every man in the room eyes fell upon her. The only reason Yahiko and Yutarou had not notice was because their backs were to her. She and Tsumbame were facing the woman while they all sat at the table.
'With a woman like that in town, no man was safe,' she thought to herself silently.
Misao watched her as a western man came to sit beside her. What shocked her most was when the lady placed her finger into her cup then closed her eyes and placed the finger in her mouth.
Misao's mouth dropped open at the blatant sexual gesture.
Yutarou seeing that her attention was focused elsewhere again and not on him turned in his seat to see what she was looking at. When he turned around all he saw was a western man sitting in his seat with a dumbfounded look upon his face. Was that what Misao desired? Did she wish for a western man? He would have to go out and buy himself some western attire.
Misao saw the woman get up to leave, then pause for a brief moment and then she exited the restaurant.
Misao closed her mouth and quickly looked around the room. Yutarou had turned in his seat, no doubt to see what she had been looking at.
She tried to focus her attention back on him for the rest of the night, but to her regret her mind still wandered back to Aoshi.
******* ***************** ***************** ***************** **********
Mai Ying walked towards the Akubeiko inn humming a tune her grandfather used to hum to her when she was a little girl. Before Nitsugi. Nitsugi had come upon their village like the plague. Killing everything in sight. Her grandfather, grandmother and mother had been killed before her by the ninjas of Nitsugi. Nitsugi was a half Japanese half Chinese tyrant who had ruled the region of China where their village resided for many years. As long as her village offered him food and livestock that they had raised he offered them protection, but one day that protection ended. She did not know why but it had and Nitsugi had come and killed everyone in sight. He had killed everyone over five years old and took the remaining children to be trained as lethal killing feigns. She had been one of those lethal killing monsters. She had killed countless men and women, but she could never kill the children.
They were innocent. Just as she had been. True most of the women and men she had killed were innocent as well, but she had only been ordered to kill them when they had tried to cheat Nitsugi out of his profit. She was his prized assassin, but she grew tired. She knew that there was more to life than the constant killing. When Nitsugi had brought her to his room one day and declared that she would have his child, she all but bolted right then and there. The last thing she wanted was to become one of his wives. She would kill herself before she let that happen. After much thought she decided to kill herself, but she would fake her own death. Being skilled in medicinal herbs she knew of one herb that could slow the beating of the heart down so slow that it appeared as if the person had died. But there was trick. Someone would have to administer the antidote to speed her heart back up before her heart slowed and stopped. She found that individual. There was an old man in one of the villagers that they governed. He had vowed to help her escape. So she faked her own death and was never heard of again, until now.
She knew that by using her real name Nitsugi would find out that she was alive and come for her. She wanted him to. There was too much unfinished business between them. She had to avenge her family's death and every one who had died by his hands. She had come to a point in her life where she had to dispense of all her demons. She had to wipe her consciousness clean.
As she walked to the inn where Aoshi was staying she felt eyes silently watch her as she walked upon the street. Nitsugi was watching. Good.
************** ****************** *********************** ************ Aoshi decided to get some fresh air to clear his head. If he should happen upon Misao then it would not be his fault. He placed his trench coat on and left his room. He went down the stairs and exited the building when he saw her.
She was walking towards him slowly, purposely. The red silk dress she wore clung to her curves and he found himself once again wishing to be her dress. Her almond shaped eyes finally settled on him and she smiled. It took his breathe away and he was unaware that he had stopped breathing until he had started to feel a little lightheaded.
She stopped some distance in front of him and tilted her head to the side as she let her eyes slide like silk up his body until they settled once again on his face.
She smiled again, this time with longing and sadness.
"Aoshi Shinomori, we meet once again."
************* ******************* ****************** ********
Well guys, here it is.
The next update should be in Feb. I know I stated that the next update would be in Feb, but I had to go ahead and post this. I will respond in the next story to every one who reviews this chapter. Big Shout Out to Number 9! Thanks for the compliment.
Thanx to everyone for their reviews!!!!!!!
I love you!!!!
Shadiyaray!
NOTE** Yutarou is not the Yutarou in the series. Someone had asked me if this was the same Yutarou but it is not. I was watching an old episode of Inuyasha, the one with the water demon and the water god, and I think that the little boy's name was Master Yutarou so for lack of placing in another name, I used that one. Yutarou is older than Yahiko by about three years.
Wasting My Time
"I don't think you understand, that what you're doing is not so cool. You think it's funny to mess with my mind, don't you? You know I like you, so you just tease me. You give me just enough to hang on and on. When you're just wasting my time. You're simply wasting my time. So quit wasting my time."
Song lyrics by.
Boomkat-'Waisting My Time.'
** * * * * *
Aoshi sat down upon the western style bed in his room at the Akubeiko inn and rubbed his aching temples. He was beginning to get a headache. The thought of Misao out with some young horny inexperienced brat plagued his thoughts constantly ever since Kenshin had told him of her date. But what was he worried about? Misao could take care of herself. Normally he would not be this worried but he had all but pushed her into the unknown young man's arms. An unknown young man whose arms would be all over Misao not to mention his hands. He became sick at the mere ideal and thought. There was no way that he was going to get any rest tonight. He could track her down and watch her. Just to make sure that she was ok. Right?
He quickly changed his mind. Who was he to interfere in her life when it best suited him? He had no right. His eyes landed on the dark brown folder that was placed upon his wooden dresser. He had placed it there upon entry. His mind flashed back to earlier that morning in Saitou's office.
He stared at the dark brown folder for what seemed like hours before he had finally admonished enough courage to open it. There inside lay one of the skeletons of his past that he had prayed that would stay buried. forever. He stared at the name on the top of the file as past memories from a life long ago replayed in his mind. A life in which he never wanted to return. A life of evil and darkness. But there was one thing good that came out that evil. There was a beacon of light that had guided him out of the darkness many times. If it was not for that light he might not have been saved by Himura. He might have killed Okina and he would have never made it back into Misao's heart.
Mai Ying.
He had met her during the time in his life when he had been searching blindly. When he had been training himself to become the best. She had cared for him, brought him back from death many times and she had risked her own life for him in the process. She had loved him. But he was not to be loved. He was cold, hard, and cruel. He only took solace in her body when he needed to, nothing more. He had treated her as if she was nothing more than a beautiful geisha girl to sate his lust after a battle.
She was beautiful, caring, sweet, had beguiling dark chocolate brown eyes and skin as soft as the Chinese silk that she often wore. She had tried to make him see the error of his ways. She had tried to get him to change. When he had waked up from nightmares shamelessly crying for Hyottoko, Beshimi, Shikijou and Hanya, she had held him in her arms and rocked him silently whispering sweet endearments until he had fell back to sleep.
He remembered the day when she had confessed her love to him. The monster that he was had left her crying and broken upon the grass covered ground as he had walked away from her never to look back. He had regretted that day many times. He still had nightmares from it. She reminded him so much of Misao. When he had first met her he saw the brightness and love within her eyes and she did not even know who he was at the time. She had treated his broken and blood soaked body risking death from the neighboring warlords by secretly housing him within her home. It was not until later that he had learned of her combat skills. She had told him that she was once a hired assassin, but she had chosen to leave that life behind her and become a farmer.
He had gone to China to learn some new fighting skills and decided to practice them out on the neighboring warriors of the village warlords. She had found him after a fierce battle and had brought him back to life and taught him a few skills of her own. His life with her was what most men dreamed of having but he was not most men. He was Aoshi Shinomori, leader of the Oniwabanshuu. He was not allowed to be happy. He had a mission to complete. He had to win the title of the stronger and the best for his fallen comrades who had died because of him.
When she had told him that she loved him and begged for him not to leave, he had spoken coldly to her and called her a whore. He saw the pain in her face and it hurt him deeply but he made himself even colder. So cold in fact that it was as if he was watching a doppelganger of himself from far away.
She had cried then and he had blocked out her words, turned on his heel and left. It was the last he had seen or heard of her until today.
Now according to the information in the folder, she was now leading one of the most profitable opium trades in the known world. What had happened to the beautiful young woman who had told him that she had seen too much blood shed and had settled down to become a farmer. He knew what had happened. He had happened. It was his fault that Mai Ying had decided to discard everything. What had he told her that day? Yes, he remembered it clearly. He was staring down at her sprawled out on the ground. "Aoshi, you can't go back like this. There is still good within you," she pleaded. He had simply replied in a voice so devoid of emotion, "The little bit of good that was within me, ceased to exist before I ever came to know of you." "That is not true. I know it is not. I know that you care for me."
"I did not. I only pretended to."
At the fallen look upon her face he was someone possessed by the devil to go further with his cold words and to hurt her even more.
"I pretended to care in order for you to care for me. Tell me, would you have risked your life to house a complete stranger that showed no concern for you?"
Upon the crest fallen look upon her face he had turned to leave while she screamed at him.
Now she had gone back into a life that she had vowed never to return to, because of him.
Also within the folder was Nitsugi. Mai Ying's former master. Nitsugi was known far and wide for training some of the best ninjas in the world and Mai Ying had been his prize and joy. She had informed him while he was with her that in order to leave him she had to fake her own death. Now she was not using an alias and going by her real name. He was sure that Nitsugi had heard of her by now, especially if Saitou had found out about her. What was Mai Ying thinking? Surly she knew this. He had to reason with her. He had to reach her and bring her back from the darkness before it consumed her completely. He had to return the favor.
******** ********** ************** ************ ************* *********
Misao tried her best on focus on dinner but her mind kept wandering back to Aoshi. Yahiko, Tsumbame, Yutarou and she had come to a western style restaurant in town for dinner. They were all seated at one of the western style tables with chairs. As their dinner was brought to them her mind focused back to Aoshi again. What was he doing? Saitou had told her that he was coming here, but why? She had taken his advice and had gone away to give herself some time to get over him and what did he do? He followed her.
'Damn him! Damn damn!'
"Misao?"
Misao was startled out of her thoughts of the tall dark handsome ninja only to be faced with the face of a sweet handsome young man that sat across from her.
"Yutarou."
"Are you alright. You were making some very angry faces a few seconds ago. Are you still mad at me?"
"No," she said waving her hand in front of her, "I am not."
"I was just thinking about something, Yutarou."
"Boy I am sure glad that I am not the something that made you mad," he said jokingly. "You were making some serious faces there."
Misao laughed.
"I though you were beautiful when you were angry, but you are even more beautiful when you laugh," he said breathlessly.
Misao stopped her laughing at his serious statement. She stared at him thinking, 'God, how I wish Aoshi would say something like that to me.'
She stopped the thought as soon as it came and mentally berated herself for thinking of Aoshi when it obvious that Yutarou was paying her compliment because he liked her. She liked him to, but not in that way. True, he was handsome and sweet but she could not forget Aoshi so soon. She was physically attracted to Yutarou but that was as far as it went. Still that did not mean that she could not have a little fun, right?
She smiled at Yutarou and thanked him for the compliment still blushing profusely. Many men had complimented her on her looks since she had become a woman and she always found herself wondering why the person whom she wanted to compliment her the most had not.
She took a slip of wine from her cup and glanced around the room. At the far end of the room she spotted the most beautiful woman she had ever seen. Tall, dark skin, almond shaped eyes and long sleek black hair hung down the back of her red silk dress with gold embroidery shaped like a dragon. She was stunning. Every man in the room eyes fell upon her. The only reason Yahiko and Yutarou had not notice was because their backs were to her. She and Tsumbame were facing the woman while they all sat at the table.
'With a woman like that in town, no man was safe,' she thought to herself silently.
Misao watched her as a western man came to sit beside her. What shocked her most was when the lady placed her finger into her cup then closed her eyes and placed the finger in her mouth.
Misao's mouth dropped open at the blatant sexual gesture.
Yutarou seeing that her attention was focused elsewhere again and not on him turned in his seat to see what she was looking at. When he turned around all he saw was a western man sitting in his seat with a dumbfounded look upon his face. Was that what Misao desired? Did she wish for a western man? He would have to go out and buy himself some western attire.
Misao saw the woman get up to leave, then pause for a brief moment and then she exited the restaurant.
Misao closed her mouth and quickly looked around the room. Yutarou had turned in his seat, no doubt to see what she had been looking at.
She tried to focus her attention back on him for the rest of the night, but to her regret her mind still wandered back to Aoshi.
******* ***************** ***************** ***************** **********
Mai Ying walked towards the Akubeiko inn humming a tune her grandfather used to hum to her when she was a little girl. Before Nitsugi. Nitsugi had come upon their village like the plague. Killing everything in sight. Her grandfather, grandmother and mother had been killed before her by the ninjas of Nitsugi. Nitsugi was a half Japanese half Chinese tyrant who had ruled the region of China where their village resided for many years. As long as her village offered him food and livestock that they had raised he offered them protection, but one day that protection ended. She did not know why but it had and Nitsugi had come and killed everyone in sight. He had killed everyone over five years old and took the remaining children to be trained as lethal killing feigns. She had been one of those lethal killing monsters. She had killed countless men and women, but she could never kill the children.
They were innocent. Just as she had been. True most of the women and men she had killed were innocent as well, but she had only been ordered to kill them when they had tried to cheat Nitsugi out of his profit. She was his prized assassin, but she grew tired. She knew that there was more to life than the constant killing. When Nitsugi had brought her to his room one day and declared that she would have his child, she all but bolted right then and there. The last thing she wanted was to become one of his wives. She would kill herself before she let that happen. After much thought she decided to kill herself, but she would fake her own death. Being skilled in medicinal herbs she knew of one herb that could slow the beating of the heart down so slow that it appeared as if the person had died. But there was trick. Someone would have to administer the antidote to speed her heart back up before her heart slowed and stopped. She found that individual. There was an old man in one of the villagers that they governed. He had vowed to help her escape. So she faked her own death and was never heard of again, until now.
She knew that by using her real name Nitsugi would find out that she was alive and come for her. She wanted him to. There was too much unfinished business between them. She had to avenge her family's death and every one who had died by his hands. She had come to a point in her life where she had to dispense of all her demons. She had to wipe her consciousness clean.
As she walked to the inn where Aoshi was staying she felt eyes silently watch her as she walked upon the street. Nitsugi was watching. Good.
************** ****************** *********************** ************ Aoshi decided to get some fresh air to clear his head. If he should happen upon Misao then it would not be his fault. He placed his trench coat on and left his room. He went down the stairs and exited the building when he saw her.
She was walking towards him slowly, purposely. The red silk dress she wore clung to her curves and he found himself once again wishing to be her dress. Her almond shaped eyes finally settled on him and she smiled. It took his breathe away and he was unaware that he had stopped breathing until he had started to feel a little lightheaded.
She stopped some distance in front of him and tilted her head to the side as she let her eyes slide like silk up his body until they settled once again on his face.
She smiled again, this time with longing and sadness.
"Aoshi Shinomori, we meet once again."
************* ******************* ****************** ********
Well guys, here it is.
The next update should be in Feb. I know I stated that the next update would be in Feb, but I had to go ahead and post this. I will respond in the next story to every one who reviews this chapter. Big Shout Out to Number 9! Thanks for the compliment.
Thanx to everyone for their reviews!!!!!!!
I love you!!!!
Shadiyaray!