disclaimer; I don't own anything, except Sou-chan… Alright, so I don't own him either, but come back to me in a few days and I'll see what I can do…
warnings; spoilers? Original characters, but none of them are main…
I was led into the Soujirou-Misao ficdom by a story I can no longer find, and I was disappointed that that talented person didn't finish it. So while this is in no way as good as that one, the beginning more or less follows that story, and takes off where it left off.
::: ::: :::
When the Rain Stops
elusive@phantom.org
http://www10.brinkster.com/inotherwords/
Chapter 1
After all the battles are over
After all the fighting is done
Will you be the one
To find yourself alone with your heart?
(Looking for the answers…)
When it feels like tomorrow will never come
When it seems like the night would not end
Can you pretend you're really not alone?
You're out here on your own.
Lonely soldier boy… (1)
The sun showed itself proudly, leaning on a perfect light blue, orange and purple sky. All the people moved through the soothing wind, letting its melody drown in with their cheerful chatter. The sakura tree blended well with the afternoon, hovering gracefully over the street market.
But Seta Soujirou was not satisfied.
He smiled at every person he passed by, and with every smile he gave, he felt sadder. A feeling of emptiness nagged at him, a feeling he once totally could not even feel.
But certain feelings surfaced and resurfaced in the course of his journey. Fear. Excitement. Loneliness. Longing. Hurt. Anger.
Depression.
After a year of wandering, he found himself in doubt again. He left all the people he met in his journey, telling them, and himself, that his search wasn't over. Though he knew he would be lonely again, he'd leave in search of something… of himself.
But as he continued, he never found anything. It was like it was lost. It being whatever he was looking for. And it was nowhere to be found.
He wondered if it would be the same, had he just stayed with one of the people he befriended. His search would be left unfulfilled, but what if it was better than him searching his entire life, chasing after something that wasn't there at all?
Sometimes, the pain would even cause his smile to falter. It would cause him to wonder… 'How did Himura-san do it? How could he live through it?'
But Soujirou kept walking.
He looked absently at the fruits in the market. His stomach urged him to buy, but his brain as well as his empty pockets begged to differ.
Somewhere at the beginning of "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! THIEF, THIEF!!!! YAMERO!!! SOMEBODY, HEEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!!!" which a frantic lady had screeched into everyone's unfortunate ears, Soujirou's reverie was interrupted. Yours would have, too.
Soujirou quickly got the petite thief, wrapping his arms around him from the back. He then turned him around, still holding him.
"Excuse me, but I think you ought to give the lady her basket of fruits back. After all, she paid for those," Soujirou said to the hooded person. The thief tried to pull from Soujirou, but Soujirou had him immobilized. He grumbled inaudibly, then handed the outraged lady her purchases.
The lady's eyes morphed into hearts instantly. "Oh, my HERO!! Thank you so much, you kawaii little boy!!" She suddenly attached herself to Soujirou's neck, squeezing him tightly.
Due to the said suffocation, Soujirou's grip on the thief had loosened.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!! CATCH HIM!!!!!"
Recovering from a slight shock that the woman's scream caused, Soujirou caught up to the thief once again, getting him by the hand. The thief quickly snapped his head around, making his hood fall, and revealing that he was… a she.
She looked as shocked as Soujirou. "Tenken no Soujirou!"
The name he abandoned a year ago had resurfaced. "You know me?" As he looked at her, a wave of familiarity swept across his mind.
"Oh, you are so FasT and StROnG and BrAve and sExY!" the woman gushed as she caught up to him. The woman then proceeded to rub her face against his, as the girl he was holding onto was trying to break free. The situation was not good.
The girl thief now brought out her kunai with her free hand and gave a death glare to the woozy, choking Soujirou. "Revenge is mine, TENKEN!"
"Nani?!" he gasped.
No, not good at all.
Then a man came into the scene, yelling, "Oi, kisama! Let go of my wife!"
Not good? I believe the word is disastrous.
"Gom - *gasp* - en! But she - *inhale* - took some fruits-"
"I'm not his wife, Tenken no baka!" the girl hollered.
"Oh, Ishiida, forgive the boy! After all, he did save my fruits!" the lady said, simultaneously scaring Soujirou by purring into his ear.
"But he didn't have the right to glomp onto you, Minako! Step aside, I'll teach this kid a little lesson," the burly man muttered dangerously.
Minako trotted over to Ishiida, letting Soujirou recover. "Aw, but he's so handsome!"
"Handsome?!" the girl repeated incredously. She threw her kunai at Soujirou, who managed to dodge them. The girl gritted her teeth. "You find TENKEN handsome?!?!?!??? He's a hitokori!"
"Now I know you! You were with Saitou-san and Himura-san! And you were spying with the child!" Soujirou declared triumphantly.
"I'm Misao, bakayarou, of course you oughtta know me!" the girl replied with a sniff. She turned to the angry husband standing in front of her, who was looking predatorily at Soujirou. "And calm down, you big ox, it was your wife who did the glomping!"
"Why I never -!" Minako began.
"He's a killer, not a rapist!" Misao announced.
"Demo - I'm a rurouni now," Soujirou said.
"KILLER, eh?" Ishiida repeated hungrily. "Come on, pretty boy, show me what you've got!"
Minako took her husband's hand. "No, don't hurt him! I mean, I understand if you two want to fight over me, I don't blame you, but if you really have to express your jealous testosterone-charged rage, then beat up on that short, ugly thief."
"SHORT AND UGLY?!" Misao pulled her hand from Soujirou's grasp and then pushed him forward. "Come on, Tenken, show that idiot your heaven blade or something! Then kick the old hag's ass, too!"
He stumbled forward and glanced at Ishiida. He looked intimidating.
But he decided that girls were more frightening.
He turned back and looked at Misao, who was free to go, but was staying put, watching him.
"Well, Tenken? Where's the god speed whatever crap?" Misao barked.
Very scary indeed.
Soujirou laughed a little, then turned back to Ishiida. He crouched and bent his knees, going into stance.
Ishiida did the same thing.
Soujirou bent lower, and then… turned, took Misao and carried her over his shoulder, then ran as fast as he could.
Which, as we all know, is pretty fast.
When he reached a faraway town, he set Misao down and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What… happened…" a dazed Misao mumbled.
"We went to another town, away from Ishiida and *shudder* Minako," Soujirou replied.
"We… we… oh." Misao paused. "We ran away?!"
Soujirou grinned (wider) at her. "I ran. You kind of… rode."
"Why you… Tenken! You coulda killed those two pathetic morons, and you RAN?!! And what's worse, you pulled me, MAKIMACHI MISAO into your COWARDLY escapade! This is so humiliating! I can never show my face to the Oniwabanshuu ever again!"
"Gomen, Misao-san, but if I left you… well, they didn't seem very forgiving."
"I don't care. You're the Tenken. Hello? Does that ring any bells?"
"Well … I'm not 'Tenken' anymore. I'm Seta Soujirou. I'm a rurouni, and I'm letting go of my old life."
Misao paused. Then she gazed up at him, starry-eyed. "Kakkoi!"
"Ano…"
"I forgot about the whole 'wandering' thing… But STILL. You coulda fought them off!"
"Minako-san might have hugged me again…"
Misao blinked at Soujirou. This boy was the strongest of Juppon Gatana. This boy had been Shishio Makoto's right-hand man. This boy who had given Himura such a hard time… was displaying his fear of a near 40-year-old female. "You're afraid of girls?"
"She isn't just a girl!" he said defensively. "She was so… clingy! …And she kept breathing on me."
Misao laughed. "I see your point, Sou-chan!"
"S-Sou…chan…?" he repeated, slightly taken aback by Misao's new nickname for him.
"So, anyway… where're you headed?"
"Erm… nowhere, really."
"Great, me too, let's go!"
To Misao's sentence, decisions nearly as quick as Soujirou's running pace, he replied, "But you can't - You're going with me?"
"You led me into this mess, now let's wander, rurouni!"
But Soujirou didn't wander. "Ano… do you want me to bring you to Kyoto?"
"Iie. If you remember, you totaled my Aoiya."
Soujirou glanced down, feeling guilty. "Gomen nasai-"
"But it wasn't you per se, Sou-chan!" Misao cut him off. "Regardless, Aoiya's been repaired for quite some time now, and we still haven't finished paying for the repair. So, I'm out to make money as the Okashira of the Oniwabanshuu!"
"Okashira?!" Soujirou repeated, unable to control his eyes from nearly bulging out of his head, due to shock. "Wha-what happened to Shinomori Aoshi?!"
Soujirou had a difficult time trying to imagine Shinomori Aoshi handing over his title to this spunky teen-age girl.
With good reason.
"Eh? He isn't even part of the Oniwa anymore," Misao said, some of her energy and cheerfulness noticeably faltering as she talked about Aoshi. But then she perked up. "Once Aoshi-sama is done meditating, and I make him smile, he'll be proud of me!"
"Yeah, I'm sure he would," Soujirou said, recovering from the okashira shock. "By the way, Misao-san, if you don't mind me asking… what made you steal from Minako-san?"
"I didn't STEAL, Seta, I took it from her while the element of surprise was with me, and while her permission wasn't!" Misao said, nearly blowing Soujirou's smile off. "Anyway, it was because some guy stole money from me, and that was the very few that was the funding of the Oniwabanshuu."
"Someone stole it from you?" he asked with genuine concern.
"well… kind of… He says I destroyed his roof and I had to pay him back," Misao muttered dismissively. "It wasn't my fault his roof wasn't even strong enough to *cough* jump on *cough*."
"Ano… what did you do to his roof?"
"The same thing I can do to your bones if you don't mind your own business!"
Ah.
"Gomen…"
Misao sighed. "I was kind wondering, Sou-chan. If, well… How much money do you have?" She flashed him a grin.
"Etto… actually… none."
Misao froze. Soujirou smiled at her.
Misao felt like crying. Soujirou tried to soothe her, until it was proved unsuccessful by an attempted punch from Misao. "How could you?! We're broke!"
"Gomen nasai, Misao-san, but I'm a rurouni…"
"You say that one more time, and I swear… What are we gonna do?" Misao wailed. "Where are we gonna SLEEP?! We're stranded! We don't even know where the hell we are!"
Soujirou looked up to the sky, and found a majority of red taking over the sunset. "Daijoubu, Misao-san. We'll find a barn to sleep in, then we can bring you back to Kyoto."
"Excuse me?! BARN?!!" Misao repeated. "Uh, barn = hay, animal crap, as well as animal stench. Hay, crap and stench = not good sleeping conditions. Therefore, barn = NOT. GOOD."
"As an okashira, you must be strong. And besides, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Misao gritted her teeth. "Alright, FINE! But only tonight."
"Then, you want me to bring you to Kyoto?"
"Are you insane?! I've gotta earn money first! I have to get double the cash I originally set out for," Misao huffed.
"Ano… I hope you don't intend to steal again," Soujirou said cautiously, attached to an innocent smile.
"Do you have a better idea?" she snapped.
"I'm sure I will get one, and so will you," Soujirou said, by now comfortable with Misao's… lack of calm. "Maybe all we need is to rest."
Misao shrugged, getting up. "In a barn."
Soujirou laughed. "It's alright, I've slept in many barns before. They're not as bad as you think."
Misao complained as they searched for a shed that was willing to accommodate them for the night. They eventually found one, but it still didn't stop Misao from complaining.
"If I don't get this straw out of my hair, Sou-chan, I will never forgive you," she informed him.
The rurouni allowed himself to laugh aloud. "Don't worry, I won't allow you to be seen with me if you have straw sticking out of your hair."
Misao threw a bunch of hay at Soujirou's face. He laughed playfully.
"Do you fall asleep smiling?" Misao asked, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Soujirou frowned thoughtfully.
Misao burst out laughing. "You know, Sou-chan, you should save your smiles. Then, they'd be more special."
"Like Aoshi-san?"
Misao paused before giving him her own smile. "Hai."
Noticing her hesitation and sudden quietude, he quietly said, "Misao-san… it was my fault…"
"Nani?"
"I was the one who made him agree to join us." He intended to say more, but the words seemed inappropriate as they formed themselves in his head.
Misao turned away. "It's - it's not your fault."
"I'm so sorry. I can see how much he means to you-"
"Demo, Sou-chan, you're a rurouni now, ne?" she said, finally facing him. "You told me you gave up your old life. That's why I forgive you." Soujirou glanced at her, still with sincerely contrite eyes. "'Sides, you're Sou-chan now, not Tenken. And y'know, I think you're kinda cool now!"
Soujirou felt a genuine smile grow on his face. Her compliment to the new life, After-Shishio Rurouni Soujirou had truly made him happy. He blushed slightly. "A-arigatou. I think you're nice too, Misao-san."
She turned to him, one elbow propping up her head. "So… have you found your answers yet?"
Soujirou shook his head. "Once, I even considered giving up because no matter how much traveling I made, I was getting nowhere," he admitted.
"You shouldn't give up! Look at Himura. He didn't give up, and now he's happy!"
"I'm jealous of him, sometimes…"
"Mm? Really?"
Soujirou sighed. "His journey's done. He doesn't have to go through the loneliness anymore."
"Journeys don't end… They never end!" Misao said confidently. "His journey isn't over. And yours will never be. They're there until you die, or maybe even longer. Besides, I'm sure you've learned lots of things and you've had good times, too. Do you really think those times don't make it worthwhile?"
"So says the wise okashira." He grinned at her.
Misao made a face. "Sou-chan, you can be like Aoshi-sama, y'know. Except while he frowns all the time, you smile all the time. Either way, you both try to keep your real feelings in."
"But, these are my real feelings…"
Soujirou's smile dropped as he looked at her in deep thought. "Hmm, then again, it's creepy when you don't smile," she said with a laugh. "I guess there's only one thing to do, then."
"Eh? What's that?"
Misao winked. "I'm gonna make all your smiles genuine!"
"Ano…" he laughed. "Well, I guess you've got a lot of time, since we're going to need to earn so much money."
"You'll help me?"
"Hai."
"Arigatou, Sou-chan!" Misao squealed. "As payment, I can let you live in Kyoto with the Oniwa!"
"In Kyoto?! Shi…shikashi, they'd disapprove-"
"Oh, come on, Sou-chan. You don't have a home. And besides, I'm the Okashira!"
Soujirou blinked. "well, I guess I can stay for a while, but then I'll have to go on with my journey."
"Oh yeah." Misao shrugged. "But when your journey ends, then you can stay with us in the Aoiya, ne?"
Soujirou's face it up with a very wholehearted smile. "Hai…"
"After all, you helped me earn money to repair it!"
Soujirou nodded. "We'll get more than enough money tomorrow, Misao-chan! We just need to rest for today. I suggest we sleep now, so we can get up early tomorrow with enough energy."
"Right! Then we'll have enough cash to repair the Aoiya!" Misao said enthusiastically.
"We'll have enough to repair two Aoiyas."
They laughed. "Arigato…" Misao said again.
Soujirou grinned. "Oyasumi, Misao-san."
"Oyasumi, Sou-chan!"
The night played its nocturnal lullaby, accompanied by the sweet air of a new friendship.
Soujirou's journey just got a new path.
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right
I hope you have the time of your life (2)
::: ::: :::
author rambling; If you don't want me to continue, e-mail me with your plea. Comments and criticism welcome, too.
notes;
(1) "Lonely Soldier Boy", Michael Bradley; Robotech
(2) "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)", Green Day
warnings; spoilers? Original characters, but none of them are main…
I was led into the Soujirou-Misao ficdom by a story I can no longer find, and I was disappointed that that talented person didn't finish it. So while this is in no way as good as that one, the beginning more or less follows that story, and takes off where it left off.
When the Rain Stops
elusive@phantom.org
http://www10.brinkster.com/inotherwords/
Chapter 1
After all the battles are over
After all the fighting is done
Will you be the one
To find yourself alone with your heart?
(Looking for the answers…)
When it feels like tomorrow will never come
When it seems like the night would not end
Can you pretend you're really not alone?
You're out here on your own.
Lonely soldier boy… (1)
The sun showed itself proudly, leaning on a perfect light blue, orange and purple sky. All the people moved through the soothing wind, letting its melody drown in with their cheerful chatter. The sakura tree blended well with the afternoon, hovering gracefully over the street market.
But Seta Soujirou was not satisfied.
He smiled at every person he passed by, and with every smile he gave, he felt sadder. A feeling of emptiness nagged at him, a feeling he once totally could not even feel.
But certain feelings surfaced and resurfaced in the course of his journey. Fear. Excitement. Loneliness. Longing. Hurt. Anger.
Depression.
After a year of wandering, he found himself in doubt again. He left all the people he met in his journey, telling them, and himself, that his search wasn't over. Though he knew he would be lonely again, he'd leave in search of something… of himself.
But as he continued, he never found anything. It was like it was lost. It being whatever he was looking for. And it was nowhere to be found.
He wondered if it would be the same, had he just stayed with one of the people he befriended. His search would be left unfulfilled, but what if it was better than him searching his entire life, chasing after something that wasn't there at all?
Sometimes, the pain would even cause his smile to falter. It would cause him to wonder… 'How did Himura-san do it? How could he live through it?'
But Soujirou kept walking.
He looked absently at the fruits in the market. His stomach urged him to buy, but his brain as well as his empty pockets begged to differ.
Somewhere at the beginning of "AAAAAHHHHHH!!!! THIEF, THIEF!!!! YAMERO!!! SOMEBODY, HEEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!!!" which a frantic lady had screeched into everyone's unfortunate ears, Soujirou's reverie was interrupted. Yours would have, too.
Soujirou quickly got the petite thief, wrapping his arms around him from the back. He then turned him around, still holding him.
"Excuse me, but I think you ought to give the lady her basket of fruits back. After all, she paid for those," Soujirou said to the hooded person. The thief tried to pull from Soujirou, but Soujirou had him immobilized. He grumbled inaudibly, then handed the outraged lady her purchases.
The lady's eyes morphed into hearts instantly. "Oh, my HERO!! Thank you so much, you kawaii little boy!!" She suddenly attached herself to Soujirou's neck, squeezing him tightly.
Due to the said suffocation, Soujirou's grip on the thief had loosened.
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!! CATCH HIM!!!!!"
Recovering from a slight shock that the woman's scream caused, Soujirou caught up to the thief once again, getting him by the hand. The thief quickly snapped his head around, making his hood fall, and revealing that he was… a she.
She looked as shocked as Soujirou. "Tenken no Soujirou!"
The name he abandoned a year ago had resurfaced. "You know me?" As he looked at her, a wave of familiarity swept across his mind.
"Oh, you are so FasT and StROnG and BrAve and sExY!" the woman gushed as she caught up to him. The woman then proceeded to rub her face against his, as the girl he was holding onto was trying to break free. The situation was not good.
The girl thief now brought out her kunai with her free hand and gave a death glare to the woozy, choking Soujirou. "Revenge is mine, TENKEN!"
"Nani?!" he gasped.
No, not good at all.
Then a man came into the scene, yelling, "Oi, kisama! Let go of my wife!"
Not good? I believe the word is disastrous.
"Gom - *gasp* - en! But she - *inhale* - took some fruits-"
"I'm not his wife, Tenken no baka!" the girl hollered.
"Oh, Ishiida, forgive the boy! After all, he did save my fruits!" the lady said, simultaneously scaring Soujirou by purring into his ear.
"But he didn't have the right to glomp onto you, Minako! Step aside, I'll teach this kid a little lesson," the burly man muttered dangerously.
Minako trotted over to Ishiida, letting Soujirou recover. "Aw, but he's so handsome!"
"Handsome?!" the girl repeated incredously. She threw her kunai at Soujirou, who managed to dodge them. The girl gritted her teeth. "You find TENKEN handsome?!?!?!??? He's a hitokori!"
"Now I know you! You were with Saitou-san and Himura-san! And you were spying with the child!" Soujirou declared triumphantly.
"I'm Misao, bakayarou, of course you oughtta know me!" the girl replied with a sniff. She turned to the angry husband standing in front of her, who was looking predatorily at Soujirou. "And calm down, you big ox, it was your wife who did the glomping!"
"Why I never -!" Minako began.
"He's a killer, not a rapist!" Misao announced.
"Demo - I'm a rurouni now," Soujirou said.
"KILLER, eh?" Ishiida repeated hungrily. "Come on, pretty boy, show me what you've got!"
Minako took her husband's hand. "No, don't hurt him! I mean, I understand if you two want to fight over me, I don't blame you, but if you really have to express your jealous testosterone-charged rage, then beat up on that short, ugly thief."
"SHORT AND UGLY?!" Misao pulled her hand from Soujirou's grasp and then pushed him forward. "Come on, Tenken, show that idiot your heaven blade or something! Then kick the old hag's ass, too!"
He stumbled forward and glanced at Ishiida. He looked intimidating.
But he decided that girls were more frightening.
He turned back and looked at Misao, who was free to go, but was staying put, watching him.
"Well, Tenken? Where's the god speed whatever crap?" Misao barked.
Very scary indeed.
Soujirou laughed a little, then turned back to Ishiida. He crouched and bent his knees, going into stance.
Ishiida did the same thing.
Soujirou bent lower, and then… turned, took Misao and carried her over his shoulder, then ran as fast as he could.
Which, as we all know, is pretty fast.
When he reached a faraway town, he set Misao down and breathed a sigh of relief.
"What… happened…" a dazed Misao mumbled.
"We went to another town, away from Ishiida and *shudder* Minako," Soujirou replied.
"We… we… oh." Misao paused. "We ran away?!"
Soujirou grinned (wider) at her. "I ran. You kind of… rode."
"Why you… Tenken! You coulda killed those two pathetic morons, and you RAN?!! And what's worse, you pulled me, MAKIMACHI MISAO into your COWARDLY escapade! This is so humiliating! I can never show my face to the Oniwabanshuu ever again!"
"Gomen, Misao-san, but if I left you… well, they didn't seem very forgiving."
"I don't care. You're the Tenken. Hello? Does that ring any bells?"
"Well … I'm not 'Tenken' anymore. I'm Seta Soujirou. I'm a rurouni, and I'm letting go of my old life."
Misao paused. Then she gazed up at him, starry-eyed. "Kakkoi!"
"Ano…"
"I forgot about the whole 'wandering' thing… But STILL. You coulda fought them off!"
"Minako-san might have hugged me again…"
Misao blinked at Soujirou. This boy was the strongest of Juppon Gatana. This boy had been Shishio Makoto's right-hand man. This boy who had given Himura such a hard time… was displaying his fear of a near 40-year-old female. "You're afraid of girls?"
"She isn't just a girl!" he said defensively. "She was so… clingy! …And she kept breathing on me."
Misao laughed. "I see your point, Sou-chan!"
"S-Sou…chan…?" he repeated, slightly taken aback by Misao's new nickname for him.
"So, anyway… where're you headed?"
"Erm… nowhere, really."
"Great, me too, let's go!"
To Misao's sentence, decisions nearly as quick as Soujirou's running pace, he replied, "But you can't - You're going with me?"
"You led me into this mess, now let's wander, rurouni!"
But Soujirou didn't wander. "Ano… do you want me to bring you to Kyoto?"
"Iie. If you remember, you totaled my Aoiya."
Soujirou glanced down, feeling guilty. "Gomen nasai-"
"But it wasn't you per se, Sou-chan!" Misao cut him off. "Regardless, Aoiya's been repaired for quite some time now, and we still haven't finished paying for the repair. So, I'm out to make money as the Okashira of the Oniwabanshuu!"
"Okashira?!" Soujirou repeated, unable to control his eyes from nearly bulging out of his head, due to shock. "Wha-what happened to Shinomori Aoshi?!"
Soujirou had a difficult time trying to imagine Shinomori Aoshi handing over his title to this spunky teen-age girl.
With good reason.
"Eh? He isn't even part of the Oniwa anymore," Misao said, some of her energy and cheerfulness noticeably faltering as she talked about Aoshi. But then she perked up. "Once Aoshi-sama is done meditating, and I make him smile, he'll be proud of me!"
"Yeah, I'm sure he would," Soujirou said, recovering from the okashira shock. "By the way, Misao-san, if you don't mind me asking… what made you steal from Minako-san?"
"I didn't STEAL, Seta, I took it from her while the element of surprise was with me, and while her permission wasn't!" Misao said, nearly blowing Soujirou's smile off. "Anyway, it was because some guy stole money from me, and that was the very few that was the funding of the Oniwabanshuu."
"Someone stole it from you?" he asked with genuine concern.
"well… kind of… He says I destroyed his roof and I had to pay him back," Misao muttered dismissively. "It wasn't my fault his roof wasn't even strong enough to *cough* jump on *cough*."
"Ano… what did you do to his roof?"
"The same thing I can do to your bones if you don't mind your own business!"
Ah.
"Gomen…"
Misao sighed. "I was kind wondering, Sou-chan. If, well… How much money do you have?" She flashed him a grin.
"Etto… actually… none."
Misao froze. Soujirou smiled at her.
Misao felt like crying. Soujirou tried to soothe her, until it was proved unsuccessful by an attempted punch from Misao. "How could you?! We're broke!"
"Gomen nasai, Misao-san, but I'm a rurouni…"
"You say that one more time, and I swear… What are we gonna do?" Misao wailed. "Where are we gonna SLEEP?! We're stranded! We don't even know where the hell we are!"
Soujirou looked up to the sky, and found a majority of red taking over the sunset. "Daijoubu, Misao-san. We'll find a barn to sleep in, then we can bring you back to Kyoto."
"Excuse me?! BARN?!!" Misao repeated. "Uh, barn = hay, animal crap, as well as animal stench. Hay, crap and stench = not good sleeping conditions. Therefore, barn = NOT. GOOD."
"As an okashira, you must be strong. And besides, what doesn't kill us makes us stronger."
Misao gritted her teeth. "Alright, FINE! But only tonight."
"Then, you want me to bring you to Kyoto?"
"Are you insane?! I've gotta earn money first! I have to get double the cash I originally set out for," Misao huffed.
"Ano… I hope you don't intend to steal again," Soujirou said cautiously, attached to an innocent smile.
"Do you have a better idea?" she snapped.
"I'm sure I will get one, and so will you," Soujirou said, by now comfortable with Misao's… lack of calm. "Maybe all we need is to rest."
Misao shrugged, getting up. "In a barn."
Soujirou laughed. "It's alright, I've slept in many barns before. They're not as bad as you think."
Misao complained as they searched for a shed that was willing to accommodate them for the night. They eventually found one, but it still didn't stop Misao from complaining.
"If I don't get this straw out of my hair, Sou-chan, I will never forgive you," she informed him.
The rurouni allowed himself to laugh aloud. "Don't worry, I won't allow you to be seen with me if you have straw sticking out of your hair."
Misao threw a bunch of hay at Soujirou's face. He laughed playfully.
"Do you fall asleep smiling?" Misao asked, with a hint of amusement in her voice.
Soujirou frowned thoughtfully.
Misao burst out laughing. "You know, Sou-chan, you should save your smiles. Then, they'd be more special."
"Like Aoshi-san?"
Misao paused before giving him her own smile. "Hai."
Noticing her hesitation and sudden quietude, he quietly said, "Misao-san… it was my fault…"
"Nani?"
"I was the one who made him agree to join us." He intended to say more, but the words seemed inappropriate as they formed themselves in his head.
Misao turned away. "It's - it's not your fault."
"I'm so sorry. I can see how much he means to you-"
"Demo, Sou-chan, you're a rurouni now, ne?" she said, finally facing him. "You told me you gave up your old life. That's why I forgive you." Soujirou glanced at her, still with sincerely contrite eyes. "'Sides, you're Sou-chan now, not Tenken. And y'know, I think you're kinda cool now!"
Soujirou felt a genuine smile grow on his face. Her compliment to the new life, After-Shishio Rurouni Soujirou had truly made him happy. He blushed slightly. "A-arigatou. I think you're nice too, Misao-san."
She turned to him, one elbow propping up her head. "So… have you found your answers yet?"
Soujirou shook his head. "Once, I even considered giving up because no matter how much traveling I made, I was getting nowhere," he admitted.
"You shouldn't give up! Look at Himura. He didn't give up, and now he's happy!"
"I'm jealous of him, sometimes…"
"Mm? Really?"
Soujirou sighed. "His journey's done. He doesn't have to go through the loneliness anymore."
"Journeys don't end… They never end!" Misao said confidently. "His journey isn't over. And yours will never be. They're there until you die, or maybe even longer. Besides, I'm sure you've learned lots of things and you've had good times, too. Do you really think those times don't make it worthwhile?"
"So says the wise okashira." He grinned at her.
Misao made a face. "Sou-chan, you can be like Aoshi-sama, y'know. Except while he frowns all the time, you smile all the time. Either way, you both try to keep your real feelings in."
"But, these are my real feelings…"
Soujirou's smile dropped as he looked at her in deep thought. "Hmm, then again, it's creepy when you don't smile," she said with a laugh. "I guess there's only one thing to do, then."
"Eh? What's that?"
Misao winked. "I'm gonna make all your smiles genuine!"
"Ano…" he laughed. "Well, I guess you've got a lot of time, since we're going to need to earn so much money."
"You'll help me?"
"Hai."
"Arigatou, Sou-chan!" Misao squealed. "As payment, I can let you live in Kyoto with the Oniwa!"
"In Kyoto?! Shi…shikashi, they'd disapprove-"
"Oh, come on, Sou-chan. You don't have a home. And besides, I'm the Okashira!"
Soujirou blinked. "well, I guess I can stay for a while, but then I'll have to go on with my journey."
"Oh yeah." Misao shrugged. "But when your journey ends, then you can stay with us in the Aoiya, ne?"
Soujirou's face it up with a very wholehearted smile. "Hai…"
"After all, you helped me earn money to repair it!"
Soujirou nodded. "We'll get more than enough money tomorrow, Misao-chan! We just need to rest for today. I suggest we sleep now, so we can get up early tomorrow with enough energy."
"Right! Then we'll have enough cash to repair the Aoiya!" Misao said enthusiastically.
"We'll have enough to repair two Aoiyas."
They laughed. "Arigato…" Misao said again.
Soujirou grinned. "Oyasumi, Misao-san."
"Oyasumi, Sou-chan!"
The night played its nocturnal lullaby, accompanied by the sweet air of a new friendship.
Soujirou's journey just got a new path.
Another turning point, a fork stuck in the road
Time grabs you by the wrist, directs you where to go
So make the best of this test and don't ask why
It's not a question but a lesson learned in time
It's something unpredictable, but in the end is right
I hope you have the time of your life (2)
author rambling; If you don't want me to continue, e-mail me with your plea. Comments and criticism welcome, too.
notes;
(1) "Lonely Soldier Boy", Michael Bradley; Robotech
(2) "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)", Green Day