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Dec 10, 2011 : Format fixed

Speech – Thoughts / Dream sequence

Speech - Memories

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Okies! First things first: I'm sorry for the delay. My job is really stressing, and I've been kind of depressed lately (That's not exactly a new thing, but….) so I guess my brain just couldn't deal with having to think on top of all that.

But I'm certain none of you wants to hear my babbling, so let's go on with the story! I made it extra-long to make up for the long time it took (actually, no. I did it extra-long because I wanted to fit everything at once. But the other reason sounds better, doesn't it?)

Oh! I drew a pic of Misao in the western dress. Personally, I think it is pretty good, although I'm debating if I should colour it or not (it's inked). If anyone wants to have a look at it, just leave you e-mail in a review saying so, and I'll be happy to e-mail it to you!

Disclaimer: If I owned something, I wouldn't have to go to a cyber café to post this, now would I?

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Chapter 13

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"Do you remember that? Haha! I helped you discover everything without even trying to!"

"Do I ever!. Once an Oniwabanshu, always an Oniwabanshu, that's what I always say!"

"Of course! Kampai!"

"Kampai!"

*clink*

Okina gulped down his sake and merrily reached for the bottle.

"So… how is the plan going?" Okina set the small sake bottle down and sighed at hearing the question.

"Terrible. Those three are going to be the death of me, I assure you my dear friend. I thought they would be happy! *sigh* Women" He gulped down the sake.

"I mean, didn't they want Misao-chan to get married? I haven't been able to be in the same room with her more than a few minutes! And every time I open my mouth, I get dragged off the room! They are driving me nuts!" The old oniwabanshuu continued his tirade, shaking his head at his own words.

"There must be something we can do…."

The two men sat there thinking.

*tic, tac* A big grandfather clock ticked somewhere in the house.

Okina started tugging at his beard.

*tic, tac*

Miyamoto grabbed a handful of the last few hairs that still hadn't left him, and kept them inside his closed fist.

*tic, tac*

Both men looked at each other with defeated looks.

*tic, tac*

Two hands reached out simultaneously.

*tic, tac*

Almost in synchrony, they each grabbed a sake bottle, poured, and downed the liquid in a single gulp.

*tic, tac*

In stereo, they sighed.

*tic, tac*

This was going to take a while.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Soujiro led a somewhat subdued Misao down the hall. He had to pull her arm lightly to get her to walk though. And things weren't exactly made easier by the tea tray he happened to be carrying. At least she wasn't kicking and screaming anymore.

Stopping in front of the Okashira's study door, he shifted the weight of the tray, and made motions to Misao. He wasn't exactly in a position to open the shogi, you see.

Misao blinked at him. What was he doing?

Sigh. He forgot she couldn't sense ki yet. "Would you please open the door, Misao-san?"

"Uh? What for?" This was her office. What were they doing there in the first place? Shouldn't they be searching for the damn rogue wolf?

"Why, to go inside, of course!" answered an angelical Soujiro.

"You're not making any sense…. Why should we?" It was to be said that Misao often picked the strangest times to be oblivious.

Soujiro just looked at her, hoping it all clicked in her brain.

*SWOOSH*

"Would you just get in, brat?" Saitou said after slamming the door open. Really, those two were just annoying. Then, he retreated to the room, and made himself at home.

Misao blinked a couple of times. "What do you think you're doing!" A vein popped in her forehead.

Saitou smirked, not moving an inch form his comfortable position. He was sitting on the large Okashira's chair, both legs propped on top of the table, cigarette in hand.

Misao got in, grumbling for all she was worth. Soujiro, behind her, blinked quite a lot and tried to remember not to learn such vocabulary, for he was a good boy.

"How did you know where to go Saitou-san? I thought you'd never been here before" Sweet smile, of course. Soujiro placed himself strategically between the two, and started arranging the tea implements on the table.

Misao blinked at that. Actually, that was a pretty good question. Saitou had most definitely never set foot inside of the Aoiya, and it couldn't have taken her more than 15 minutes to arrive to her current location, not exactly enough time to explore, especially considering this wasn't the only office in the place.

"A bit of deduction and the something that just screams this is the Oniwabanshuu no Okashira's office. However lacking on personality it happens to be" Replied the wolf with a bit of a smug smile.

Misao let her eyes wander around her office. It wasn't a big telltale about her personality, as she had refused to spend as much time as her predecessors in it (not that it mattered that much, she practically lived there anyway). Plain walls, a couple of ink landscapes hung on them for all decoration. Now that she took the time to analyze it…. Let's just say some changes were in order, okay?.

But if the room lacked such personality then…. How did Saitou know?

"Oh?"

Saitou waited patiently while her eyes wandered taking in what he meant. Only once her face set first into a disgusted 'yuck' face and then was replaced by a curious look did he continue.

"…It reeks of weasel" he said calmly.

"WHY YOU….!"

o-o-o-o-o-o

Getting up from his meditation position, Aoshi went to the pond just outside the room. It was a quiet place, and his second favourite place to meditate in. Finding his usual spot atop of a rock, he settled in.

"You just love to waste your time, don't you?"

Aoshi stopped on his tracks. Had someone sneaked up on him? It had been ages since that last happened. Slowly, he turned around.

And his jaw hit the floor.

"Han… Han…." Was he stuttering? Oh yes my dear friends, he was. His brain had decided to take a nice nap too, it seemed.

"Hannya, Okashira. H-A-N-N-Y-A. How's it goin'?" Great, what were you supposed to do when a dead man popped out of the blue?

The cheerful ghost (It HAD to be a ghost), sat atop another rock, directly in front of Aoshi.

For some strange reason, he wasn't feeling as confused as he thought he was supposed to feel. Quite the opposite, actually. He shifted to a more comfortable position, using the rock as a support.

"You're dead" He stated calmly, leveling his eyes with those of the masked man in front of him.

Hannya matched his look for a few minutes, then started chuckling.

"Details, details" The tall man said while moving his hand dismissively. "You were always a sucker for little details, weren't you? Oh well, as a matter of fact, I DO happen to be dead. There. Happy?"

The look on his face must have been really something else, because Hannya's mirth soon disappeared.

"I'm just glad you stopped grieving, Okashira" The tone was much softer now, mingling with the sound of the wind around them.

Was he? He had been the direct cause of his death, along with those of Beshimi, Hyotoko and Shijyjo.

*Poc*

Aoshi rubbed the tender spot on his head where the rock had just bounced on.

"Don't think like that. We did it on our own free will, so you could live" Hannya said, juggling a second rock on his hand.

"And we would do it again if necessary" Aoshi turned around to see the rest of his comrades. He felt his chest tighten at the sight in front of him. Just like old times. Just like old times…

Aoshi blinked. Wait a second. Had he said… no, he had most definitely not said anything. Then that meant….

"Yes Aoshi-sama, this is a dream. And yes, we can hear your thoughts as if you were speaking. Which makes it perfect for a little heart to heart, don't you think?" Beshimi said with a visible evil glint on his eyes.

*Gulp*

"I fail to see why" Aoshi answered in what he hoped was his best nonchalant voice.

"You do know it's impossible to pretend in a dream, don't you?"

He had the feeling he was in trouble.

"Oh yes, you are" Aoshi pretended not having heard Hyotoko, suddenly finding the grass very interesting. What really got his attention tough, was the fact that his legs seemed a little….. strange. Not only that, his hands looked a little…. chubby too. Aoshi raised the proverbial eyebrow at this development.

"Soo… how's Misao-chan?" Aoshi was snapped out of his investigation by the question. The eyebrow switched targets, now finding a certain demon mask very intriguing.

"Well, we never got to see her again" Explained Hannya to the eyebrow.

"Yeah, who would've thought she would become such a pretty lady?"

"She was always pretty, even as a child, Hyotoko"

"Tsk, tsk. She was cute, Shikyjo. And now she is beautiful. I find there is a big difference between those two terms" Hyotoko answered waving his index finger in front of Shikyjo's nose.

"Little Misao-chan is ready to be swept off her feet by some charming young man, and we won't be there to chase him off!" Beshimi mock-wailed dramatically, and fell on the grass, as if dead.

The eyebrow started switching.

"Aw, C'mon! You know she still is the little spitfire we used to know! The only reason someone will be able to come near her is because she wants so!" Hyotoko said, leaning over the fallen from of his comrade.

Aoshi was feeling a little left off. Unconsciously though, he agreed with everything Hyotoko had said. He stopped himself in mid-nod.

Hannya was looking at him. Which was perfectly normal, since he happened to be sitting in front of him. The smirk however, was not. Wait a second. How in the world did he know he was smirking?

Aoshi narrowed his eyes. Yep, there was no doubt about it. Hannya's mask WAS, indeed, smirking.

Great, now what?

"Won't you, Aoshi-sama?" Eh?. Aoshi blinked at that. He raised an eyebrow.

"He said, and I quote: 'Aoshi-sama will protect her. Won't you, Aoshi-sama?'" Hyotoko said in a squeaky voice, imitating Beshimi, earning a slap in the head by said ninja.

"Aaa" he answered without even thinking about it. What was there to think about? He would, of that there was no doubt.

"That's the spirit!" Beshimi said, getting up and dusting himself off.

Eh? Where were they going?

"Now I can rest in peace!" Said Hyotoko, and turned around to leave.

"I told you he loved her!" Said Shikyjo to Hannya, while they walked away. "Let's see, you owe me 500 yen"

"We're dead Shikyjo, I can't pay you"

"Aw! Forgot about that!"

W H A T ? ? ? ! ! ! Shikyjo's sentence resounded in his head.

"Shikyjo?" His voice was calm, and frozen like the artic wind.

"Then again, it might be a good thing" Said Shikyjo nervously, and disappeared.

Suddenly, the whole setting went black. Aoshi's head whipped around, but there was only black all around him. Looking down, he saw what it seemed to be…. Water?

Erm… yes. He seemed to be standing on water. Or a mirror. Or something. Strangely enough, he could see his reflection, even if there didn't seem to be any source of light anywhere.

Then, he had the chance to really see what he'd only barely noticed before.

What the…. He was….. deformed! His head was HUGE! His arms and legs were CHUBBY, of all things! His eyes took up almost half of his face. He looked like some cartoonish version of himself!

He was suddenly on his hands and knees, looking at his 'reflection' and blinking for all he was worth.

A giggle echoed somewhere in the black vastness.

Aoshi looked around, searching for the source of the childish voice. There was that giggle again. It was a… little girl?

The deformed Aoshi stumbled backwards when a little child appeared in front of him. He fell on his behind quite unceremoniously from the surprise.

The toddler had big blue eyes, and… a raven braid?

"M….Misao?"

The dream-Misao giggled again and leaned forward. Grabbing his head with both her chubby hands, she planted a kiss on his nose and giggled again.

He remained frozen on the spot. When chibi-Misao had pulled away from him, she wasn't chibi anymore. Her slender hands were still on his cheeks, and her face was mere inched from his.

Misao, now all grown up, smiled at him, and opened her mouth to speak…

*THUMP*

Aoshi blinked his eyes open.

The ex-Okashira of the oniwabanshuu was on the floor of his meditation room, at the temple. His head had just collided with the floor, due to the fact that he had fallen asleep while sitting cross-legged. Again.

You really didn't think he meditated ALL day, did you?

Aoshi got up from the floor. Getting up, he glared at the incense burner that was sitting there innocently while emanating a thin thread of smoke.

A vein started pulsating on his forehead.

He reached towards the small recipient and hurled it through the open shogi door.

*splash*

No more incense for him, thank you very much.

Sitting on the rock by the pond, he tried to sort his thoughts.

There were different kinds of dreams. The one he just had didn't exactly look like a premonition to him. It wasn't your typical kind of dream either. What did it mean?

Inanely, he wondered if his reflection on the dream was his inner self.

FOCUS! Great, he could free his mind of all thoughts for hours, but try to keep it thinking….

He looked at the setting sun. Setting sun…? Crap! Misao!

Maybe sparring with her would give him an idea or two.

As observant as he was when it came to other people, the word 'denial' never crossed his mind.

o-o-o-o-o-o

The reason why Saitou was in need of one or ten ninjas was pretty simple.

Since the beginning of the Meiji era, just 12 years before, there had been small groups against the government. Some of them where trying to instaurate the shogunate again, some of them just wanted the power.

The political business had been invaded by gaijins. Foreigners. There were groups against that too. Those were some of the most radical ones.

Even he, a former Shingengumi, knew that forging strong bonds with other countries was the best way for Japan to emerge as the powerful country it once was. And it was a little difficult to do so when ambassadors and eminent personalities kept getting kidnapped and/or killed every once in a while.

There were some major terrorist groups in the city. He had been trying to track some of them for months now, but there was a slight problem. The bastards had found out that, in helping each other, they could evade the police force whenever they wanted.

He had tried everything he could, but police investigators could only dig so far. IF they did it at all.

Bunch of incompetents.

And now he had to sink low.

"I expect the first results within a month weasel. IF you are able to do it, of course" Luckily, he was a good diver.

"Of course I can!" Misao said, a fiery look in her eyes. THIS was a challenge. A BIG one, at that.

The wolf smiled. Good to know the weasel still had spunk.

Once Saitou closed the door, Soujiro had to retreat to a secluded corner of the room, in hopes the up-and-down-jumping okashira wouldn't hit him.

"Isn't it great?" Misao kept jumping around the room, twirling around like a mad woman. Soujiro would've smiled at her antics, if not for the fact that he happened to be as confused as they come.

Suddenly, he was yanked from his hiding place by a pair of slender but incredibly strong hands.

"Wh…..what…i….is?" The room was spinning. Oh! Look at all the colors!

"Can't you see it?" Misao asked, that huge grin of hers still in place. Well, at least she had stopped.

Women were weird. First, she had been ready to rip Saitou's throat out, (not that the wolf was doing much to calm her in the first place, but…) and now she was acting as if….. as if…. erm….. whatever made women happy had happened. Did he really want to know? Not sure, but the question had already popped out of his mouth, so might as well get an explanation.

Soujiro put on his cute smile and shook his head furiously.

Misao's grin was still in place. Almost skipping, she made her way to the shogi doors and opened them. Light poured over the room, and she made her way to the veranda just outside the office. Soujirou followed her at a more sedate pace, while she perched on the wooden railing.

"Have you ever had a dream?" Soujiro blinked. "I mean, not the kind you have at night…. You know, a dream of the future?"

Soujiro's smile turned soft. "Hai, I have"

"This is what this is for me. I wasn't supposed to be Okashira in the first place" Soujiro nodded at that. "I mean, look at me! I'm just plain little Misao! At the moment I didn't think much about it, not that I could, and I know I wasn't qualified to be Okashira. I'm still not, and everyone can see that… I'm babbling, aren't I?"

The Tenken refrained from replying, instead keeping his smile in place. "Ano…Misao-san…. What was Saitou-san talking about when he said 'results'?"

Misao blinked at that. "Oh! I forgot you know almost nothing about ninja business!. It's really not that complicated to explain. What I have to do is infiltrate spies into the rebel groups, find out their plans and their hideouts. *sigh* The complicated thing will be carrying it out"

"Isn't it dangerous?" Misao just gave him the 'duh!' look. But it quickly changed into a calm one.

"Yeah, it is" Misao turned her head to look at the garden. Her voice sounded detached, calm and un-misao-ish. "Do you think I can do it?" Her voice had turned insecure, almost scared.

Suddenly, she felt as if her head was being… patted? Misao tried lifting her eyes. When that didn't work, she settled for tilting her head. A wonderful smile greeted her.

"It does mean you would prove Saitou-san wrong. And I know you can do that"

Misao smiled at him. She giggled.

"Shocking him again would be nice. Did you see his face when he found us in the kitchen? What a pity he recovered so fast though! His eyes were HUGE!" Misao said, making a pretty good imitation of said eyes. Soujiro started laughing at seeing them.

Soujiro's eyes narrowed suddenly. But just as quickly, they returned to normal. You could even say there was a twinkle in them that wasn't there before.

"Now, now, Misao-san. It's not nice to tackle young defenseless men. And besides, we WERE in a somewhat compromising position" Soujiro retorted, winking at her.

Misao blushed. What had gotten into him? No way she was going to let him go without payback!

"Only because you wiggled so much!. What, you haven't ever had a woman all over you?" Wait…. That had come out… wrong somehow.

Soujiro shrugged at the question, and started walking towards the kitchen. But not before ruffling her hair.

"Hey!" She complained. "Seta….?"

Soujiro stopped, but didn't look at her. Maybe because he was blushing at her previous question.

"Thanks"

This time, he did turn around, gave her a quick smile, and left.

o-o-o-o-o-o

Aoshi looked at the scene in front of him. Were his ears deceiving him? Just WHAT in the seven hells was happening here?

- Aw, C'mon! You know she still is the little spitfire we used to know! The only reason someone will be able to come near her is because she wants so!" Hyotoko said. -

Aoshi shook his head, trying to get rid of the memory. The normal rule was to forget your dreams, remember just snippets of them or have a vague hazy idea of what they were about. Unfortunately, it seemed he was the exception to the rule.

"Only because you wiggled so much!. What, you haven't ever had a woman all over you?"

He REALLY didn't want to know what those words meant. Really. He wasn't a curious person, it had nothing to do with him. He would go to the dojo and wait for her there, no questions asked. No matter how much his inner self was wailing to know what was going on.

"Misao" Inner Aoshi had won the argument, of course.

Misao turned around towards the source of the voice. No way…. It couldn't be…

"Aoshi-sama?" Of course, as fate would have it, it WAS.

Uh-oh. The eyebrow was up.

He had heard. She knew he had. And he knew that she knew he had.

Misao opened her mouth to explain, and halted at the last possible second. I don't have to explain anything to him. Let him think whatever he wants. IF he wants to know, he'd have to ask Misao thought. And, of course, that would never happen, because Aoshi would never ask. Right?

"Care to explain?" Whaaat? Take cover! Take cover! The end of the world is near! He had actually asked!. Misao felt her eyes open until her eyebrows touched her hairline.

Aoshi was in the same state of bewilderment. What had possessed him to ask? Well, he was curious about it and everything, but…

"Saitou walked in on the middle of something" Misao said dismissively. She hoped out of the veranda and turned to him "It's time to train Aoshi-sama" she said, smiling sweetly at him.

She had completely evaded the question! And what exactly did she mean by 'on the middle of something'? Little gears were turning on his head. He was adding 2 plus 2, and didn't like the 5 he came up with.

Nevertheless, he followed her towards the training hall. He was going to find out, even if it killed him. Or someone else.

Inner Aoshi started sharpening his little kodachi.

o-o-o-o-o-o

End of Chapter 13

o-o-o-o-o-o

Whew! That was a long one, and there are some things I couldn't fit in here.

I KNOW this chapter was kind of strange. Blame it on the dream. They are always strange. Super deformed Aoshi! KAWAIII! *hugs SD-Aoshi to death*

I know I haven't given Saitou a big enough place in the spotlight, gomen! *bows low* He will later, I promise!

This looks like a cliffie…. What was Misao thinking? What was Soujiro thinking, for that matter? It'll be revealed next chappie! Stay tuned! Things are shaping up! *rubs her hands together in glee*

liemtenshi: I couldn't leave Saitou out of this mess! *incredibly evil cackle*.

lebleuphenix: I hope you had enough of Aoshi this time. Ryo is based on a lot of anime hotties I just love, so obviously, he's a hunk *drooools*. And things will be revealed sugar, just wait a little *winks*

Ice Demoness: *wearing an upside down pot on her head and hiding behind the couch* Three kunai less? oh, I'll take everything I can get. Girl, you're demanding! ...Just kiddiiiiiiiing! *dodges various flying objects*

wolfbandit: Sorry if it sounded as if I was making fun of you two, Kyrii. I assure you I was not. Thanks for the support!

Foxxie Kitty: Most people expected it to be Aoshi, but... what can I say? I just had this insane urge that just screamed: wolf!. Besides, I had other plans for Aoshi, as you may have noticed. As for the stress reliever, I found that slapping perverts is a good one. Now I know why the anime girls like to do that so much! *satisfied smile*

Apple girl: Thanks dear! Actually, I have been thinking about that for some time now... but there's no reason to rush into anything, is there? we'll see where the story leads me (oh yes, I just write it, it has a mind on its own *sigh*)

tesuka-chan: Yes, I know. It was too short. I made up for that with this one. I just couldn't stop writing!

chibi summanaro: volatile combination, isn't it? Hehe, I hope you liked this one too!

roses in bloom: Thankies!

nekonomiko: I taped Aoshi-sama's poster over my bed with the worse tape I could find and waited... and waited... and it refused to fall! When I got up the next morning, zombie-like from the lack of sleep, the damn thing finally gave! *pouts*

ale: You are? oh my... I'm so happy to hear that! *comienza a saltar por todo el cuarto como pelota* I feel so happy you like the fic. De donde eres? yo vivo en Surco.

Airen2: Misao isn't the only one with a goal now... and about the bloodshed and embarrassment... well... what would life be without those? Aoshi walking in on them would've been really...howtosayit... dangerous for one tenken's health... Besides, he did walk in the middle of something here too…

rurouniFan: Here's next chappie, hope you liked it!

Jbramx2: Soujiro doen't get into strange situations. They get Soujiro. Haha. Saitou will have his share of strangeness later, I promise.

Moonmusic: You think so? Glad you liked that!

Laura517: Here's the update. And the ends isn't near, I assure you. Not yet, I still have so much evilness in my system.

Sango461: Here's the update. I hope you enjoyed it.

Someone is missing here, I'm certain of it. FF .net deleted some of the reviews again. %·/&"$!. But I read them all! …..I think….

Comments? Review!

Verito-chan