Wildest Hearts

Wildest Hearts

Disclaimers: Standard disclaimers apply.

Chapter 2- Kindred Souls

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Misao gaped at the two men forgetting to douse the growing tension between the two. Aoshi and Soujiro were so alike in things that really matter that she shivered.

It wasn't because of fear, but as she snapped out of her trance, she realized that the two were eyeing each other like potential enemies. She yelled, piercing the tension-filled silence.

"Baka! Its all in the past you two! What you did before doesn't matter now, at least to me! Aoshi-sama, what are you doing here?" she asked suddenly angry at Aoshi.

Soujiro was the first to look away and he smiled at her. It was a different smile somehow and she sensed it. She was still to angry to smile back but she gave him a tight nod. Her gaze went back to Aoshi Shinomori, the man responsible for her heartache for the past week. She glared at him as he slowly swung his gaze to meet hers.

Ocean-blue eyes met a calm, icy blue. For awhile they gazes clashed, Misao was openly challenging, the hurt very clear in her eyes. Aoshi looked away and said, his voice a flat monotone, "It was very foolish for you to go alone on this mission Misao."

Misao's temper broke. You can actually see volcanoes exploding and bombs dropping as she kept silent for about 2 seconds and then...

"You insensitive bakarayou! You wouldn't even know if I can handle situations or not because you never cared enough to see! I am the okashira now Aoshi-sama, I'm 18 years old and a mature capable woman!" she screamed at him while flinging out her kunais, four from each hand at a time.

When Aoshi was still ducking and dodging those kunais, Misao launched into an attack. She leapt and like the ninja she is, gave very good high kicks, from each angle. She jumped away and sprang into a backflip but before she knew it, Aoshi caught her into his arms, still wincing from the high kicks he'd taken from her.

Misao squirmed, trying to free herself and when Aoshi kept his iron grip up, she let loose a string of curses that Sano would have been proud to use.

Soujiro was standing at the sidelines, amused and wondering if he should come to the aid of Misao. He shook his head when Aoshi dumped Misao unceremoniously on the floor after Misao finally stopped cursing. Soujiro smiled genuinely when Aoshi spoke, his voice colder than ice. Even as Aoshi spoke, Soujiro can feel the anger simmering below the emotionless surface and the concern he obviously had for the girl.

"An okashira does not degrade himself by using those kinds of words Misao. Why don't you grow up for a change," Aoshi said and stalked off leaving a fuming Misao and a smiling Soujiro.

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Soujiro offered his hand as Misao stood up, rubbing her abused posterior. Misao was still glaring angrily after Aoshi's retreating back but tears shimmered in her eyes. Embarrassment, hurt and anger were mixing up inside her.

Misao let go of Soujiro's hand once she stood on both feet. She opened her mouth to curse but then closed it again. Aoshi's point about the language really hit the spot and she grimaced.

"Daijoubo Misao-dono?" asked Soujiro as he set his sword down and began piling rocks into a circle. Misao looked at him for a moment before she began helping him in forming a small circle.

Misao sighed. She barely knew Soujiro and even had him as an enemy in their struggle against Shishio but she could sense the change in Soujiro's demeanor. When she first knew him, he was like a machine, ready to obey, ready to kill with no remorse or regret.

But now... well, things are different. She knows for a fact that Soujiro is much like Kenshin, lethal and even terrifyingly skilled in the sword with reflexes few men like Aoshi and Saitou can equal but the cold blooded aura he used to project is gone. He reminds her of Kenshin and Aoshi at the same time, having a past too burdened to shed and a skill too precious to waste.

Quietly, Misao answered Soujiro, "Iie. I'm fine now." Soujiro acknowledged her answer with a nod and a smile. He could sense the turmoil within Misao and strangely enough, she makes him feel at ease.

Shinomori however was a completely different story. Despite the reports that the former Oniwabanshuu okashira has gone into seclusion, it was still pretty obvious the man was as destructive as ever. 'His kenki is enough to make the hair raise on my neck' thought Soujiro as he straightened up after making a fire. He looked over his shoulder and gazed at Misao, the young girl sitting on a tree stump looking pensive.

She was beautiful and he judged her age to be a few years less than his and despite her position as the okashira, she still manages to convey an image of spitfire and innocence. If he was born into a different family, he probably would have grown up like her, innocent yet tough, still capable of believing goodness in people.

"Why are you staring at me?" Misao asked, her cheeks faintly pink as she scowled at Soujiro. He shrugged and smiled when he answered his voice surprisingly wistful, "Oh nothing, I was just thinking how lucky you were."

Misao gave a short bitter laugh. "Me? Lucky? Now that's new! I can be anything but not lucky," she said more quietly. She stood up then, her thoughts turning to Aoshi and Soujiro. She nodded at Soujiro before she began following the trail of a nearby stream. She wanted privacy. A little silence to sort out the quagmire of her thoughts.

She got to a fairly secluded area and waded out to a rock formation at the stream's edge. She sat at the highest part and cupped her chin in her hands, thinking again. Well, she's acting like a pathetic lovesick kid and she's not! At least she's not a kid, she admitted with an inward sigh. She was more of the former, pathetic and lovesick.

'So what now?' she asked herself. She has tried to let Aoshi go...honestly, she did. But it seems that even now, Aoshi's arrival means a current abuse of her fragile self-defense. It was bad enough living with him in the same roof and having him ignore her but now... Well, she was incensed! How dare he treat her like a kid!

"What are you thinking?" asked Soujiro's voice from the veil of darkness. Misao turned and in the gathering shadows she saw Soujiro standing by the stream bank, gazing out the flowing water too. As Misao's thoughts were about Aoshi, Soujiro's thoughts were about the man he killed in a river bank once. When he slashed his former comrade in the back because he failed to defeat Battousai.

"How is Himura-san right now?" asked Soujiro quietly, his thoughts inevitably turning to the man who turned him from his path of killing.

Misao then smiled. The events that occurred in the last few years had been shattering. The whole jinchuu arc, it was frankly harrowing but they all survived. "Kenshin is fine and if my thoughts are correct, I'd bet he's cooking dinner right now," said Misao smiling as she thought about her friends.

Soujiro looked startled for a moment before he laughed heartily... as in really, genuinely laugh. Misao got startled too but then she smiled even more widely. There was something about Soujiro that compels her. Maybe it was his spirit, a will to live so strong that unconsciously, their hearts were bound to meet.

Their smiling eyes locked together and then both of them realized something that was a comfort in their rather tumultuous lives.

They were kindred souls.

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Author's Notes:

Ohayo! Sorry this part took so long in the making. I am actually finishing three ficcies, all divided into chapters. Sigh... writing is my favorite pastime but right now, I find myself inextricably entwined with my own fics. As my friend Yuki said, I have to finish these fics because it would be such a shame to leave some parts hanging. So, 'til here. Ja ne! C&C's are very much appreciated.