Fate Beckons
Chapter 7: Dreams (Nightmares?) From the Past(2)
Disclaimers apply
She was running--running away from a truth she could not bear to accept. No! Aoshi-sama would never be like that! Hannya and the others can't have died! Kaoru must be lying! Yet, deep down, she could not dismiss it. But she needed proof that it was true. The thing was...she did not want to find it. It was hard to accept that her best friends were dead...and her beloved Aoshi had changed.
She shut out everything, her legs like pistons, running nonstop mechanically. She heard nothing but the rhythmic thuds of her own feet on the ground. Unwilling to accept, uneager to dismiss, she could only run in search of the truth.
Misao's eyes fluttered open in a start. The sky was just beginning to brighten, she realised in shock. "Oh, no, I'm gonna be late for school!" It was only when she looked at the watch by her bed that she remembered it was a Sunday. [LOL, see what happens when you keep thinking about school?] Sighing, she collapsed onto her desk chair, grabbing the Math textbook that lay nearby. Might as well get a head start now.
The dream from the previous night came flooding back to her--as vivid as the one before. She was now more certain than ever that they had hidden meanings. Both involved Aoshi, and in both, she was a ninja girl. But what did Kaoru (who looked like her best friend as well as had the same name as her) have to do with it? And the little boy whom she just happened to know was named Yahiko?
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Blood. Not his, but still, blood. The roar of the Gatling gun ceased, into painful silence. And he realised he was alone, among his fallen comrades. He stood still for what seemed like hours, hoping that the nightmare would end, and the world as he knew it would return. But nothing changed.
Misao. How would she feel if she had been there? Angry...upset...she wouldn't forgive him would she? He was alone now, and as darkness closed around him, he knew he had to avenge his friends and restore their honor, as well as his own. And there was only one way to do it. Kill Battousai.
The scene changed. They were hiding from the drug peddlers--and had just been discovered. The enemy opened fire.
"Duck!" He yelled to them, drawing the ornamental sword he carried--the only weapon he had with him. With skilled strokes, he tried to deflect the bullets. But they came too fast.
The ringleader Guan Liu (Chinese for "Kanryuu") was laughing like crazy. He had gone insane. "Run, go on, run! Ni men ze xie gou shi bu ke neng ying guo wo de! [You dogs can never beat me!]"
His men drew out their rifles. And before Aoshi could stop his friends, they ran out in front of him.
"NOOOOOO!" But the roaring staccato of the steady stream of bullets drowned out the man's tormented cry. Blood sprayed onto him, singeing the places where they landed with the pain of losing a friend. He collapsed onto his knees, too stunned to stand.
"Aoshi...you must live on...someone out there is waiting for you," Hannya rasped with his last breath. His eyes closed. With his words, Aoshi felt a sudden surge of power. Picking up the sword again, he whirled, oblivious to pain. The bullets stopped--the gangsters had run out of them. With a few swings, all the men lay dead.
Staring at the bullet torn bodies of his four friends, Aoshi felt as if he had died as well. He lowered his head.
"Aoshi..." A voice so familiar he just had to look up. The sight stunned him--Misao, as beautiful as ever, in a red Chinese wedding gown. She stepped toward him, demure and graceful. And he, comforted by her warmth, reached out for her. She lowered her eyes.
The floor suddenly flooded with blood. Her eyes widened as she looked at the destruction around her--the bodies, the bullet holes, the blood--on his clothing, his skin, and all around the tumbledown hut.
"Why didn't you tell me? Why did you keep this from me?" She broke away from him.
"Misao, wait!"
"We shouldn't keep secrets with each other. Don't I have a right to know?" her eyes filled with tears, running down and dissolving her perfectly applied makeup. She turned. "Until we learn to trust each other, goodbye Aoshi." She ran, wiping the tears away from her eyes.
He tried to run after her, but his legs seemed to be cemented to the ground. He called out her name, but she did not stop.
Then, Guan Liu suddenly stood up from among the dead, laughing maniacally. He recovered his gun and aimed it at Misao. Aoshi could only stare in horror, he was powerless to protect her.
"Noooo!" Sweating profusely, Aoshi sat up, heart pounding madly. The fear and helplessness he had felt in that...nightmare had been so vivid that he had almost thought it was real. It only reminded him of what would probably happen if he told Misao about what happened in Taiwan. It was a wonder she did not already know, but ignorance was bliss this time. Her tough, cheerful exterior hid a sensitive and sentimental soul--he did not want the bad news to affect her O' Levels.
But you can't keep it from her forever. True, but until she could take the trauma, he was going to. She would hate him for it; as children, it had been difficult to keep anything from her. Hate me all you like, Misao. But it's all for your own good.
The picture of her teary face from his dream returned to him. It always hurt him to see her so sad...her face was not meant for tears. he turned his head, looking at the picture of the both of them at Fantasy Island (the same one that Misao has) so long ago. The bright, happy smiles on both their faces...he had lost his smile and could not let Misao lose hers.
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Her hand shaking, Misao picked up the phone. It was high time Aoshi told her the truth! She wanted to hear it from his mouth. He was NOT going to keep it from her forever and she bet he knew it as well.
Get on with it, Misao. You have a right to know. 9...she punched the first 3 digits, but replaced the phone, suddenly nervous. A deep breath, then, forcing herself not to stop, she dialed all eight digits, hoping she was not waking him up.
One ring...two...three...she was beginning to wonder if he even heard his hand phone, or if he was really asleep. But Aoshi was a characteristically early riser!
He finally answered on the tenth ring. "Hello?"
"Aoshi, this is Misao." Her voice sounded lower than usual...and more serious. "I need to talk to you about something.
Tbc...
I'll try to speed the story up...if my English teacher marked this, I'd fail Content! (LOL). Glad to know you ppl are reading my fic...thanks to all those who commented. C & Cs always welcome, after all that's how we improve ne minna-san?
