Disclaimer : I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. It belongs to Watsuki-sensei. So there.

Soujirou's Dream - Chapter 12

"Aoshi-sama!"

"Shinomori-san !"

Both Misao and Soujirou yelled as they watched Aoshi collapsing onto the ground and quickly ran toward Aoshi's motionless

body. Misao's eyes began to fill with tears and soon become too misty to see where she was going and bumped against Soujirou who lost his balance and fell on Misao. Misao quickly got up from under him without blushing at all. "Gomenasai, Soujirou.... I..." apologised Misao as she stretch out a hand to pull Soujirou up.

"Don't bother about me now, go and see how Aoshi is."

"Are you sure?"

"Go on and don't brother

about me!" Soujirou said angrily but deep down inside his heart, he wanted to hold Misao's hand and hold it forever but seeing Aoshi in this terrible state, he had to somehow try to bring Misao's attention to Aoshi and this was the only way. Misao sadly moved away from Soujirou and toward Aoshi.

"Aoshi-sama, are you alright?" She called out to him but of course there was no response.

"Soujirou, quick help me carry Aoshi back to the Kamiya Dojo!"

"Hai !" Soujirou quickly ran, squatted in front of Misao while she loaded Aoshi into a piggyback position. "Ready, Soujirou?"

He put on a confident look. "Let's go!" Soujirou struggle to carry Aoshi and keep up with Misao at the same time all the way back to the Dojo.

~~**~~

Misao ran into Yahiko who was outside with Tsubame chatting away. "Yahiko, quick help me!"

"Help you do what?" Yahiko asked, obviously uninterested.

"Go and get Megumi!" Misao growled angrily at him.

"Okok! Don't need to be so fierce weasel woman." Yahiko quickly ran to look for Megumi who was in town that day for a visit.

"Tsubame, quickly go and get Kenshin."

"He is inside." "Ask him to come and help Soujirou with Aoshi"

"Alright!" Tsubame quickly run inside and Kenshin came out with bit soap in his hair. Seeing Aoshi in this state, he faced Misao "What happened?" Misao quickly told Kenshin about Kenshin and Tochiro's fight.

"Here comes Megumi!"

"Come on, quick into the room in the east wing." Kenshin led the way to the room while helping Soujirou with Aoshi.

"Tsubame, quick lay out the mat!" Soujirou then tiredly and gently put Aoshi's head down on the pillow with Kenshin putting Aoshi's body on the mat.

"Okay, job done! Soujirou, would you like some tea?"

"No, thanks, Himura-san." Megumi quickly set down to look at Aoshi's wounds, once in a while sending Kenshin, Soujirou, Misao, Tsubame or Yahiko to run an errand or get something from the clinic.

~~**~~.

Aoshi felt himself floating. Where am I? Aoshi thought to himself as he opens his eyes. It is so dark that I can't see a thing. Suddenly the whole place began to light up but still it was too dim to see anything. What a gloomy place. He got up to look around him I must be in a cave but caves don't have auto light up. He thought with amusement to himself. He began to walk I wonder what is causing the crunching noise and why is the ground so uneven. He looked down to find that he was walking on a hill of bones. He began to look carefully around. Where is this place? It is all just mountains and hills of human bones

"Shinomori Aoshi!" An eerie voice rang out of no where.

"Who are you? And

where are you?" shouted Aoshi

"I am here." Aoshi turned to the voice.

"Who are you?" Aoshi asked the dark figure approaching toward him.

"I am Death."

"Ha-Ha, if you are Death then I am God." Aoshi mocked laughter.

"You don't believe me, see my working pass." Death took out his pass and showed Aoshi

Name: Death

Job: Bring people death.

"Okay, so am I dead?" Death took out his clipboard and check "No, we are still deciding. We have to decide between you and Soujirou."

"Take Soujirou's life and not mine." Aoshi replied immediately without thinking.

"Why?" "Because...I have some unfinished business." "Okay, I will cancel your name."

"Thank you."

"You are unwelcome." Death took his clipboard and cancelled Aoshi's name. "Wait a minute, so now, you are going to take Soujirou's life?"

"Yes. In this death business, you have to take at least a life each day right?"

"Right."

"So, you don't have to take both our life at all." "What?! You want me to be fired by my boss?"

Who is his boss anyway ? "No. Because there is a guy with the same name. Soujirou is the son of a cruel and wealthy man named Shishio. Since you love causing misery, why don't you take this guy's son?"

"Good idea, thanks Shinomori Aoshi, you may go back now."

"Thank you." It is such a great feeling to be cheating Death. He thought happily to himself and smiled a small smile.

~~**Meanwhile... **~~

"Weak pulse rate! I afraid that we are going to lose him!"

"What do you mean, Megumi-san ?"

"I believe we are going to lose him."

"Aoshi-sama, please don't go!" She began to cry. Soujirou, feeling jealous, walked out of the room Does she really mean what she said? Soujirou thought unhappily to himself as he sat down beside Kenshin

"Oh, Soujirou! How is Aoshi?" Kenshin asked a little over enthusiastically.

"He's having a weak pulse rate and Megumi-san's afraid that we might lose him."

"His injuries are that bad?"

"I'm afraid that would be yes. Himura-san, can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"What would you do if someone you love said that she love someone else?"

"I would, of course, feel hurt but I would try my very best to win her heart." Kenshin said with determination as he thought about his young sweet heart Kaoru. No, I would personally break his neck and take out all his guts through his ass. Battousai thought smugly.

"Thanks for the advice, I am going to find Yahiko and challenge him to a duel so that I could take my mind of this matter."

"Okay but I am warning you that Yahiko is sore-loser so beware!" Kenshin joked. Soujirou stood up and walk toward the dojo. "Now I have to worry about Kaoru seeing another guy..." muttered Kenshin to the plant beside him.

~~**In the room... **~~

"Megumi-san?"

"Hai."

"Do you think that Aoshi have a chance of living?"

"It might have a possibility of 70% that he would live."

"So he is on the safe side?"

"Not at this very moment. Wait let me check his pulse" Megumi took Aoshi's hand and checked the pulse "Okay, It is on the normal rate now. We can relax now." Misao sighed with relief.

"When will he come around?"

"In around 3 to 5 days." Megumi got up "I'll go and take a bath now. If there's anything wrong, come and inform me."

"I will." Megumi opened the shouji and closed it behind her. "Aoshi-sama, please come around as soon as possible." Misao yawned, put her head on Aoshi's chest and fell asleep while Soujirou watched from behind the shouji with jealousy.

"Soujirou you coward, we have not finished yet!" shouted Yahiko from the Dojo.

"I am coming right now so be on your guard!" Soujirou went in and give Yahiko the fight of his life, which lasted only 3 minutes before Yahiko collapsed on the ground. "I will go and check on Misao and Aoshi so get ready for bedtime."

"No way, I am no longer a kid!"

"Okay, in the third round I will definitely send you to sleep?"

"What do you mean? Hey stop right there! I am asking you a question!" Soujirou quickly slipped out of the Dojo before Yahiko caught him. Soujirou tip-toed toward the room where Aoshi was resting in and slowly pushes aside the screen door and peek inside "Bakana !"

Gasped Soujirou as he stared at the sight in the room. Misao was sleeping beside Aoshi with Aoshi's arm around her and both were under the cover closely.

Soujirou quickly close the door and a tear dripped on his face What is this? A tear? as he touched his face. Am I crying? This is so weird for me. I guess the only way is to fight with Yahiko and then I will go to the riverside and enjoy the quietness of the nature. Soujirou began his way to the dojo, knocked out Yahiko within one minute because of his anger and went to the riverside.

~~**~~

"Okashira ! Can you hear us?"

"Yes, I can but I can't see you."

"Close your eyes and listen your heart."

"Okay, open them now."

"Minna!" Before Aoshi stood Hannya, Beshimi, Hyottoko and Shikijo. "Yes, it is us"

"Where am I?"

"You are floating in your sub-conscious mind." Hannya explained.

"How am I going to get back to normal, I miss Misao-chan already... by the way is she alright?"

"Don't worry, Aoshi. She is fine but beware there is someone who will fight against you for Misao-chan."

"Who is that?"

"Who? That I cannot answer you as I lost contact from the human world." Hannya explained. "Then how do you know?"

"The book of fate has written that down."

"How long have I been here?"

"15 minutes, and including your trip down to meet Death, that would be 3 hours."

"So the human world should be 3 hours too."

"I am afraid that you are wrong. You see the human time is totally different from this world's time. For example: 1 sec here is 1 minute on earth, 1 minute here is 1 hour on earth, 1 hour here is 1 day on earth, 1 day here is 1 year and so on."

"I guess I have to be going back now."

"Goodbye, don't worry, we the members of the Oniwabanshuu will protect you always."

"Thank you for saving my life that time and thank you always for everything you done for the Oniwabanshuu, Okina, Misao and myself. Good bye now." and the whole scene began to fade away.... Aoshi was being returned to the human world...