Disclaimer: Nope…still own nada….

Author's Note: Onward with the insanity! Now we're starting to begin to formulate the climax of this story despite how things may appear. Hang on; it might be a bouncy ride! Red and Review if you liked this chapter but Flames will be ignored!

Chapter 10: The Aoiya

"Well Himura, miracles do happen." Saitou said dryly as he looked around the streets of Kyoto.

Kenshin had misread the directions given to them by Hoji, but somehow they had arrived in Kyoto after two days of mindless wandering.

"We've reached Kyoto Shinomori-san, will you and your friends be off now?" Kenshin asked slowly.

"Not yet. Our agreement was that once you and your companions were safely at your destination then my men and I would leave. Once we've reached this Aoiya place then my men and I will leave."

"Very well," Kenshin looked at the streets that surrounded them and randomly chose one, hoping it was going in the right direction.

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"Misao-chan, do not start complaining about your upcoming marriage again, at least not to us! If you have to gripe, go gripe to a plant or a pot of tea or some random person walking down the street but not to us! We do not want to hear it!"

"But Okon…" Misao crossed her arms and pouted slightly to herself. She wasn't griping, she was angsting and what good was angsting if no one would listen?!

Her gaze wandered to the window and she caught sight of a red haired man walking down the street, 'Perfect,' she thought slyly.

She dashed out of the Aoiya and grabbed the man by the front of his shirt, "My life's awful, just awful! I'm being forced to do terrible things against my will and I've no way out. There's no escape and I can't run away but it's so awful I don't want to face it anymore. I might have to take up drinking! In fact I think I will!"

Kenshin was being shaken around by this strange girl but he was still concerned about what she was saying, "Who is making you do what?" he managed to ask.

"I can't tell you who they are but let me tell you that these are terrible, terrible things they're making me do. They're so awful I don't want to speak of them!" Misao shouted, not noticing the other ninjas who had come out of the Aoiya to find out what the commotion was.

Kenshin had seen them though and he thought he had figured out what this girl's problem was, "Are you a slave? Are these people behind you you're masters? If they are and if they're mistreating you my friends and I can help."

Misao blinked in surprise, "Slave? What are you talking about?" she dropped Kenshin on the ground and spun around to see who was behind her, "These guys?" she pointed at the ninjas and Kenshin nodded.

"You've got it all wrong! These guys aren't my masters, I'm they're boss." As she spoke she caught sight of Aoshi, "But if being a slave who needs rescuing means I get to come with you guys then I need to be rescued okay?"

Misao leaned closer to Kenshin, "By the way, who's your really sexy friend with the white trench coat?"

"That's Shinomori Aoshi, why?" Kenshin asked nervously.

Misao's face turned upwards into a delighted grin and she looked towards Aoshi, "Are you Shinomori Aoshi? The Shinomori Aoshi?"

Aoshi was getting uncomfortable, "Yes I am. Is there something wrong with that?"

"No, no, no, actually there's something really great about that because I'm Makimachi Misao! The arranged marriage, remember?"

Aoshi's face fell a fraction of an inch, "Oh."

Beshimi chuckled under his breath, "The boss got a weird one." The other members nodded in argument.

Misao suddenly slapped herself in the forehead, "Where are my manners? Everyone, inside the Aoiya!"

It was Kenshin's turn to look delighted, "Is this the Aoiya? We were told to come here!"

Misao paused as she remembered something, "Wait a second…red hair… cross shaped scar on the left cheek…are you Himura Kenshin?"

"Yes I am."

Misao's grin, if possible, grew wider, "This is just great! This is fantastic in fact! I don't have to worry about my upcoming marriage anymore and I don't have to try to find you guys! Scratch that idea about taking up drinking, I don't need to anymore!"

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Once they were all seated in the Aoiya Misao sat down across from Kenshin, "Okay, our information says that you're trying to dethrone Shishio, right?"

"Correct," Kenshin nodded.

"Then we can help you. You've just made a friend of the Oniwaban 2.0. Aoshi-sama was the leader of Oniwaban 1.0 but now that we're getting married the two groups are going to merge." Misao looked adoringly at Aoshi, who shifted uncomfortably and cleared his throat.

Aoshi wasn't the only one who had attracted the attention of a female ninja. Okon and Omasu, the two older ninjas who had helped train Misao, were quite taken with Hiko. He, however, was not disturbed by the attention.

"It's my turn to pour Hiko-sama some sake!" Omasu protested but Okon only grinned slyly and held the sake jug out of her reach, "You can't pour sake the same way I can." To prove her point she poured a glass for him, which he accepted.

Omasu pouted as she watched the exchange, but her expression grew scandalized as Okon poured herself a drink, "Now you're drinking with him! It's not fair!"

Okon just smiled before looking back at Hiko, "Hiko-sama obviously likes older women. Wait another ten years, maybe then you'll be attractive to him." Hiko just smiled at her as Omasu began to sulk.

"Uh…sensei maybe you shouldn't be encouraging them." Kenshin suggested looking between the sulking Omasu and the glowing Okon. Hiko glared at his pupil, "Stop being a baka, there's nothing wrong with a simple…friendship with a woman." He glanced at Okon who started to giggle.

"Still…" Kenshin stopped protesting as Hiko shoot him a dirty look, "I'm shutting up now."

"Really Ken-san are you afraid of your sensei?" Megumi coolly suggested.

"Shut up Megumi! Kenshin's not afraid of anything or anyone! And he's not interested in a vixen like you!" Kaoru shouted, her face growing red.

"That may be so but I'm also sure that he's not interested in a sweaty little girl like you." Megumi smirked.

Yahiko sighed and looked from Kaoru and Megumi arguing over Kenshin to Okon and Omasu trying to get Hiko's attention to Misao gazing at Aoshi, "It's like there's some kind of love potion in the air that's making everyone act weird. At least you're still normal Sano." He looked at Sano who was staring at Megumi, completely oblivious to the other people in the room.

"Maybe I was wrong." Yahiko dropped his chin in his hands. 'At least Tsubame isn't here. She wouldn't like these guys.' Yahiko allowed thoughts of the little waitress to flirt through his mind before suddenly sitting upright, 'Ugh, whatever's affecting everyone else's gotten to me too!'

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"So Shishio-san, what's the first step of our plan?" Seta asked, looking up from the book he was reading.

"I can't tell you that yet." Shishio looked at his second in command for a moment, "Soujirou, what are you doing?"

"Homework." The Tenken smiled and returned to his studies.

"Ah." Shishio returned to his contemplation of the far wall before suddenly sitting upright, "Hoji! Where are you?"

"Coming Shishio-sama!" Hoji ran into the room and bowed, "What can I do for you Shishio-sama?"

Shishio and Seta stared at the vampire.

"What?" Hoji blinked.

Seta finally cleared his throat and gestured at his upper lip, "You have an ink mustache Hoji-san."

"Oh!" Hoji quickly cleaned the offending ink off and bowed again, "Now what do you need Shishio-sama?"

"Have you continued your studies on what the weaknesses of Kenshin and his companions are?" Shishio demanded.

"Almost. I've discovered that Saitou Hajime has a weakness for tobacco and plain soba, Sagara Sanosuke…well we haven't found his yet so I'm forming a committee to discuss that subject. Kamiya Kaoru's been cursed by Yumi-sama so she might be coming here to break the spell, and you'll find this last one interesting. We've discovered who Hiko Seijurou's true love is. It's a ninja named Okina…" Hoji glared at his notes, "Okay, which wise guy wrote Okina on my notes? The girl's name is Omasu you idiots!"

Hoji took a deep breath, "I apologize for my outburst Shishio-sama, the ninja's name is Omasu. She lives at the Aoiya in Kyoto and tomorrow she'll be out shopping alone. I can send Cho and Henya to capture her."

"Brilliant Hoji, and once she's here then what?" Shishio began to rub his chin and he stared at Hoji.

Hoji pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped his forehead, realizing he hadn't thought that far in advance "Well…uh…once she's here you can …uh…force her to…uh…marry you…I guess?"

Shishio shook his head, "That wouldn't work, Yumi would just kill her. Wait…Seta; do you have a girl friend?" Shishio looked over to Seta, who had been ignoring the entire conversation as he struggled with something call trigonometry, "What was that Shishio-san?"

"I asked if you had a girl friend. Do you?"

Seta grinned, "No Shishio-san, you told me that relationships could be a pain and you said that your relationship with Yumi-san was a perfect example."

"What was that Shishio-sama?" Yumi walked into the room behind Shishio and began to tap her foot.

"Nothing Yumi dear! Soujirou was just telling us if he had a girlfriend. Do you Soujirou?"

Seta could sense the dangerous tension developing between Shishio and Yumi and tried to advert it, "Um…girlfriend…nope. Never had one." He smiled and immediately returned to his studies, even starting to chew on his pencil's eraser.

"Excellent. Soujirou you're getting married!"

"What?" Seta, in his surprise bit the eraser of off his pencil and began to cough on it. Hoji patted him on the back, "It's not that awful that you have to try and commit suicide."

"I'm not trying to commit suicide; I just thought I heard Shishio-san say I was going to be getting married. Really funny joke Shishio-san." Seta gasped as he spit out the offending eraser.

"I wasn't joking Soujirou. You are going to marry this Omasu girl unless her true love shows up in time to save her from that fate."

Seta's expression went from shocked to indignant, "I don't think I'm such an awful guy to marry! I'm polite, well dressed and well spoken! Why should she consider me such a terrible person to marry?!"

"It's not that Soujirou, it's just that if you know who your true love is you'd want to marry that person instead of being forced to marry someone else."

"Oh…Okay," Seta smiled wider in confusion, "I'll take your word for that. So when's she getting here?"

"Some time tomorrow, if Cho and Henya don't screw the mission up."

"Very well, I'll go get ready." Seta stood up and walked out of the room but at the doorway he looked back, "Are you sure that this will work?"

"Of course Soujirou and don't be so upset about this. You will be helping bait that trap that will lead to this Hiko's destruction."

"That sounds good." Seta smiled and walked out of the room. Behind him he could hear Yumi yelling at Shishio. Hopefully this Hiko man would save this girl. If Yumi was any indication, marriage was a pain!