Warriors Never Cry
Chapter 1
Story by: Cessy Angel
Misao's eyes flickered open. She bright rays of the sun bore into skin, warming it after she had spent a cold night on the floor. A low groan escaped her mouth as she got up, her body wobbling a little. Her hand touched the wall as she leaned on it, her mind was rusty, and it took her some time before she noticed where she was. One thought came to her mind instantly.
"I'm late! I'm sure Aoshi-sama was expecting tea at noon! That is the last time Jiya throws me a party!"
She raced out of the den and quickly got ready.
Silence.
It was so silent in the morning. The only sounds coming to his ears were the chirping on birds, the gently wind rustling against the leaves. It was the first time in months that he was able to meditate without Misao annoying him. Maybe annoying is a too strong a word...
Aoshi's position shifted, he was now sitting cross-legged in front of the shrine, his head bowed and each hand was on his knees. Even though he seemed peaceful, his eyes closed and his face emotionless, his mind was anything but. Thoughts, memories, unspoken words shredded through his mind, mixing together and creating new thoughts, some on which he would rather not have.
His head shook and he opened his eyes. He shouldn't think of those things, he was here to forgive, after all. There was a part of him that did want to forgive, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Again, he shook his head. Where's Misao with that tea? He suprised himself with that comment. It wasn't as if he enjoyed having the ninja pestering him all the time, but he had merely grown fond of her actions in bringing him tea every day at noon, atleast that's what he thought. Yet, deep inside of him, he wanted her to be at the temple with him, because he felt as if something was going to happen...
The orange glow shone throughout Kyoto as the sun began to set. The wind blew the fallen leaves in the almost deserted streets. The shadows of the buildings were masked as the lanterns began to illuminate the town. Even in the cool air of November, a gentle warmth seemed to soothe his body from the coldness he had felt earlier.
His feet moved silently and gracefully, for he did not want to be noticed, he didn't like that. Yet the people from the streets turned their heads, as always. Everyone always seemed to notice his unusual height, his dark demeanor attracting negative looks of worry and shameless fear.
Why can't they just leave me alone? He sighed, as his pace started to move faster. He despised being the center of attention, his place was is the silence, he thought. He arrived in front of the Aoiya in no time. Only then was he suprised that he was able to arrive at the Aoiya in such a short time. Aoshi's next breath was cut short as he saw Okon and Omasu at the door, their faces worried as they both exchanged a look.
"Aoshi-sama, have you seen Misao-chan?" Omasu was the first to speak, a hint of fear crept into her voice unexpectedly. Her hands tightened around the handkerchief she was holding, gently twisting it.
His first thought was that Misao had gone away for a few hours. No harm done. His gaze looked up, no emotions, still a dark mask. His answer was cool, even though he was a little confused. "Iie, Omasu-san." he shook his head lightly. "Why do you ask?"
Both of the girls' faces darkened, an anxious mask took over the worried one. Omasu whispered something, but Aoshi didn't hear it clearly enough to distinguish it. Then Okon took a steep forward, talking to him in a smooth voice, yet not even smooth could hide her anxiety. "Misao-chan hasn't been seen all day. The last time we saw her was when she left this morning to bring you tea..." Her voice trailed off.
His gaze narrowed. He took two steps forward, then approaching both girls as he walked passed them, and cooly answered, almost close to a whisper, "I'm certain she's just playing a joke on you, she'll come back soon." His last words repeated themselves in his head. She'll come back soon, she'll come back soon, she'll...
Okon and Omasu both watched as Aoshi entered the Aoiya, his head bowed. They looked back at each other, their worry now showed effortlessly on their faces, just as Okon whispered to herself, her words reassuring herself, yet they wouldn't. "I hope you're right Aoshi, I hope you're right..."
Again, Misao's eyes flickered open. But instead of seeing bright rays of the sun, she saw only darkness. Her head and backed ached, she wanted to adjust herself, yet she found it impossible to move her hands. Her breathing quickly got rougher, and her hear raced as she opened her eyes.
She wasn't in the temple, where she was going this morning, and she wasn't in the Aoiya either. Heavy bricks colored black and green because of the moss that had grown there were all around her, she looked up at her hands, since the coldness of the room had sent them close to completely numb. Shackles. Shackles were put around her hands, holding her arms to the wall with almost no place to move. Her eyes darted to her feet, and found them also chained to the floor.
Her blue eyes grew wide. "I'm in... a dungeon?" Even she was suprised at her cracked voice. She must be weaker than imagined. In her mind, she tried picturing what had last happened, the last events that had brought her to this sadistic place. Damn. Even with her usually perfect memory, she found it unable to picture the last events. If her guesses were right, the blow she took to the head, she assumed, had given her mild amnesia. Her eyes closed. Able to only hear the sound her breath made. "Why... who... where...?"
Another sound was heard as the door opened.
The light on-looked Misao's body, but all she noticed was the laughter coming from the person who entered the room. What an annoying laugh, she thought. His cackling stopped suddenly, as the figure moved closer to her. With so little light, and in the weakened state, Misao found it near to impossible to see the man's face. He moved closer to her, his hand reached to her face and caressed it.
"Leave me alone," Misao hissed, not wanting to be touched by a stranger. Her eyes glared at the shadowed figure, as a low growl escaped her throat.
The man spoke, his voice sounded childish, as if Misao's state was a game he was playing. "Oh, you don't like to be touched? Gomen nasai." Again, he laughed. "So long, finally, he'll pay for what he did to me."
Confusion set in, Who is he talking about? Misao's eyes peered at him, wanting to see his face, but she knew that she never met the man. She just knew it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed another shadow, at the doorway, up the small row of stairs. She was in a basement, and dungeon. Her head moved away from the figure as the man began to speak again.
"You look confused, child.
Don't worry, you'll be glad to know that very soon, you'll be the reason
for Shinomori Aoshi's death. And it's going to come very soon..." The shadowed
man laughed, this time filling the room with his insane laughter.
Author's notes: You like? Gyah, I didn't like how this first chapter turned out. I always suck at writing the beginning of stories. Anyways, yes, the mysterious person has appeared in the Rurouni Kenshin manga/anime. (For you who've read the warning, you probably guessed, ne?) Anyways, hope that you guys will stick with me on this story! I'm not even close to being done.