Tutto a Te Mi Guida
Chapter 4- Journey
Disclaimers: I do not own RK and its characters. Sole credits would have to be given to Nobuhiro Watsuki for creating these wonderful characters. I am merely borrowing them for a few pages. Please don't sue, I'm a good kid.
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"Kakkoi Misao-chan, you look kawaii," breathed Omasu as she gazed at the composed young woman standing in front of her. A sheen of tears illuminated Omasu's eyes as the stark contrast between Misao the genki ninja and Misao the Oniwabanshuu okashira played across her mind.
A younger Misao would have danced and jumped around in excitement at the thought of going on a trip with close friends such as Kenshin and Kaoru, but the young woman standing stock still before her now bore more resemblance to a block of ice.
Before, Misao's eyes had been like the summer sky: warm and so full of vibrance, her emotions clearly shining through them. In fact, it was the transparency of her feelings that had endeared her to so many people. However, Misao's eyes were now like the wintry sky, a chip off the same block of ice Aoshi Shinomori seemed to have been carved from.
"She is so lost in pain now," whispered Omasu as she watched the young woman she'd known all her life. Misao was reading documents even while preparing for the trip. In the last few months the other Oniwabanshuu tried but with no success to make Misao slow down in her work. But apparently, Misao saw work as her only medium of outlet.
Unable to show her feelings, Misao would often bury herself in work, making the Oniwabanshuu work better than ever. As a leader, Omasu couldn't have asked for a better okashira but the shadows in her Misao-chan's eyes would forever haunt her.
Omasu quit her musings as she hurried to hand over the small luggage Misao was bringing along for the trip. "Here's your bag okashira," she said with a bright smile as she sought for even a tiny bit of enthusiasm from Misao.
Misao nodded slightly, clearly distracted as she frowned down at her purple kimono with a yellow obi. Jiya then stepped forward and with misty eyes, he gave Misao one of his famous back-crushing hugs. Instead of fighting it as she used to do, Misao seemed to just tolerate it and stepped back the moment Jiya released her.
"Kami-sama be with you my angel," whispered Okina as he solemnly handed a huge pouch of kunais to Misao. Misao nodded back and said, "I'll come back soon Jiya." She then turned and with a final wave directed at the rest of the Oniwabanshuu, she stepped inside the carriage where the rest of the Kenshin-gumi were seated, arguing.
With a last look at Aoiya, Misao settled back in the cushions and dutifully laughed at Sano and Megumi's antics. The pendant, that was under her kimono, felt cool against her skin. "Just like Aoshi-sama's heart," she thought, as she was lulled into the journey's lethargy.
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"Spain is beautiful," commented Aoshi as Soledad showed him through the bustling cities and churches.
Soledad widened her eyes at the closed expression on Aoshi's face. "Beautiful? Just beautiful!? Santa Maria, I cannot believe all you can say is that! You're frustratingly hard to please!" complained Soledad as she led Aoshi to sit in a park bench.
Aoshi quirked an eloquent eyebrow at that as Soledad lapsed into one of her brooding silences. Aoshi leaned back and let the strong Spanish sun beat down upon his face. He was getting a pretty decent tan now, and Soledad's food-binges (much like Misao's) has helped him fill in a bit more.
"You look much better now Aoshi, you know-- less haunted..." said Soledad quietly as she took a sideways glance at Aoshi. He gave her a cursory look before he said wryly, "Arigatou."
"You left someone special back in Japan didn't you?" she asked suddenly, making Aoshi open his eyes in surprise. "Nani?" he stammered out. She gave him a disgusted look.
"I said, you left someone -- a girl probably -- back in Japan, ne?" she repeated, pleased by the fleeting expressions on his face. There, Soledad knew that being a stranger, Aoshi was less guilty of his past, she hardly knew anything so he didn't have to worry about letting her expectations down. But her question clearly hit a spot as Aoshi was obviously floundering for an answer.
"What makes you say that?" Aoshi asked cautiously, seeing the expectant expression on Soledad's face. He didn't want to talk about Misao, he didn't even want to think about her! In fact, he wasn't even thinking about her-- yeah right!
Soledad made an impatient exclamation. "I meant, you have a cara back home!" "A cara?" asked Aoshi clearly baffled by the term. Soledad scratched her head as she thought of an English or Japanese term for that word. "You know, a koishi or a lover!" she practically yelled not noticing Aoshi's reddening face.
Aoshi made a half-shrug gesture. "Maybe," he answered evasively as Soledad's face grew once again amused. She sighed then, as she looked heavenward and said, "I just wished he thought of me as much as you think of her..."
"I don't think about her--" said Aoshi defensively. At Soledad's quickly raised eyebrow, he added somewhat lamely, "I mean, not that much." Uncomfortable with the direction of their conversation and still unable to bear thinking about Misao in broad daylight, dreaming about her is one thing, but consciously thinking about her is unbearable.
Soledad noticed his discomfiture and dropped the subject, not wanting to force Aoshi into confronting a truth he was unable to acknowledge himself. She gave a sunny smile as she gazed up at the cathedral that loomed so majestically before them, "Don't you think Spanish architecture is fabulous?"
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Japanese docks
"Is that our ship?" asked Megumi in a stage-whisper as her horrified gaze was riveted on a dilapidated ship. Kaoru was knocked speechless while Kenshin was beaming his normal close-eyed smile. Sano and Yahiko were loudly criticizing the "ship" while Misao stood shell-shocked at the sight of the supposed "cruise".
"Oro! Maa, maa, Chief Uramura did say it was a government funded reward de gozaru yo," explained Kenshin as he shrugged nonchalantly. Immediately, the red-headed rurouni was seized by an infuriated Kaoru.
"How can you just say 'maa maa'? This is a disaster! I can't be seen on that wreck!" shouted Kaoru as she shook the hapless rurouni by his pink gi. "Orororo," groaned Kenshin as his purple eyes became a twirl.
Kaoru let go of Kenshin the minute she rendered Kenshin unconscious. "Kaoru-chan, I really don't think you should have done that," said Misao mildly as she helped poor Kenshin up. "Why not? He deserved it! Oh my beautiful new kimonos! They will be completely wasted on this trip!" wailed Kaoru as she covered her face with her hands.
"Well if you keep that up Busu, we might never be able to get on this trip at all!" retorted Yoshi with a grim satisfaction in his voice. "Huh? Nani?" asked Kaoru as she looked up. Before her horrified eyes, the ship's anchor and steps were being drawn up. Final calls for passengers were being issued.
"Masaka! We'll miss the ship!" exclaimed Kaoru snapping out of her lethargy and grabbing Kenshin by the back of his collar. Sano and Yahiko followed after the sprinting tanuki while Misao dutifully followed.
"It's going to be a long trip..." sighed Misao.
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"This ship is a wreck!" said Sano in disgust as he popped another origiri into his mouth at the ship's 'formal dinning room'. The food served was greasy and unappetizing, and for the past few minutes, Sano and Yahiko had complained and ranted about the torture they were going through.
"Yare, yare, at least now I'll get motivated to go on a diet," said Kaoru with a sigh as she set down her half-finished bowl of miso soup. Kenshin shrugged good-naturedly as he continued eating his dinner. Sano and Yahiko observed kenshin's food-eating as an almost god-like feat.
"Kuso Kenshin. You really must have a stomach of iron, no wonder you were able to stand Jo-chan's god-awful cooking!" breathed Sano in a reverent whisper. A loud smack reverberated across the mostly empty dining room. Yahiko winced as he gazed at the prone Sano. Megumi tsked tsked.
"Goodness tanuki-chan, a refined lady wouldn't be so violent," said Megumi with a disdainful sniff. Misao saw an imminent war about to happen and immediately pacified the two combatants. "Onegai minna, let's not make this trip any worse all right?" she said.
"She started it!" yelled Kaoru as she shook her fist at Megumi. Megumi smirked and only tossed her head arrogantly. "Honestly tanuki, even Misao is now more composed than you are. Learn a little restraint for Kami-sama's sake!" she scoffed.
"Yeah, Misao is almost as silent as Aoshi is, you better learn from her exam-- oops," started Yahiko before he noticed the stony silence that descended on their group.
Misao's face was expressionless while Kaoru looked mortified at her student's insensitivity. She quickly turned and caught hold of Yahiko's ear. Ignoring Yahiko's yelps of pain, she twisted to face Misao. "Gomen Misao-chan. Yahiko-chan should apolo--" said Kaoru before she realized she was talking to air.
Misao had disappeared.
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Misao walked over the badly maintained hull. She was brooding and silent. A state she had learned to lapse into since Aoshi's departure. Silence was healing... or so she believed."
She walked over to the railings and grimaced at the rusty and almost wobbly support it made. Nevertheless she looked out pensively into the dark sea that loomed before her.
"Sayonara Nippon," she whispered, feeling the horrible emptiness inside her intensify. With a trembling hand, her fingers stole over the spot where her locket lay hidden under her kimono. She felt strangely disconnected from everyone and everything back at the Aoiya; so much so that even the locket felt foreign to her questing touch."
She took it out and studied it in the dim light. She turned it over and encountered the strange script engraved on it's back.
Tutto a te mi guida
Such strange words. But somehow, it held a sense of power. A sense of sorrow, a sense of hope. She wondered what meaning lay behind the foreign words. Somehow it served to assuage and heighten the pain in her heart.
As she held onto the locket feeling the engraved words imprint itself on her palm, the calligraphy burned into her memory...
Maybe the words meant renewal.
Or maybe...
//Maybe it means a new journey.//
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Author's Notes:
Wai! New characters coming up in the next chappie. I still can't divulge the meaning of Tutto A Te Mi Guida yet, sorry minna! Anyway, thank you so much for those who offered to pre-read my story. A very big thanks too to my gorgeous pre-readers, the helped maked this fic a better one. My real inspiration in writing is people like you who share my passion for such wonderful characters like Aoshi and Misao. Please r&r minna!