~Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or Rurouni Kenshin characters. This story was not written for sale or profit. Don't forget to review.

A/N-Thank you to everyone who has read and reviewed this story. I have put the dream in this chapter and in the preceding chapter to keep the story PG- 13. When our site becomes available, I will post the complete uncut version there. I am sorry as the story doesn't read the same with out the. but life is full of things we have to deal with.



A Reason for Love



Chapter 9: Talking of Love



~~~ Walking down the hall to their room, Aoshi stopped when he noticed the door slightly ajar. Gripping the handle of the kodachi, he entered the room, only to find no one there.

Both futons were empty, with the blanket that Soujiro had used crumpled at the end of his bed. The contents of the young man's traveling sack had been scattered across the floor.

Who... why... Aoshi thought.

Light footsteps catching his attention, he waited. ~~~



~Poised like a trap ready to spring, Aoshi crouched facing the open door.

Looking through the rice paper walls, he could see someone standing, holding a food tray. A tall thin shadow stretched across the floor outside the open doorway, making them appear taller.

Looking around the person continued walking, stopping at the entrance of their room. Aoshi relaxed when he saw Soujiro standing in the doorway.

"I got hungry," Soujiro meekly said, slightly shrugging his shoulders. He entered the room, sitting down on his futon with his tray sitting on the floor in front of him. He slowly began to eat but with each bite, it became harder to swallow until he just gave up and sat watching.

As Aoshi could feel Soujiro's eyes following his every movement. Taking particular care to avoid looking at his roommate, Aoshi finished then laying on his futon, stared at the ceiling for a moment. Taking in deep breaths, he repressed the feelings that arose from Soujiro watching him prepare for the night. "Finish eating, you will need your strength. Unless you want me to carry you the rest of the way," Aoshi said before allowing his eyes to slowly close.

Soujiro sat for a moment taking in the meaning of the words Aoshi had said. He smiled, thinking of being carried by Aoshi all the way to the Shingetsu Village, and then giving his head a sharp small shake to clear his thoughts, he finished eating.

"Did you make your tea?" Aoshi asked without moving.

"Yes," Soujiro answered, picking up the teacup drinking it down all at once. Swallowing the last drop, he made a face at the horrible taste of the tea before popping in one of the candies that Mokuami had given him.

Placing the tray outside the door, Soujiro glanced at Aoshi once more before laying down on his futon.

He dreamed. Of his wrists being held above his head while Aoshi kissed his lips, neck, chest. Tiny needles, shooting from his breast throughout his body, penetrating into his lower stomach where a soft, wet phalange entered his navel, causing the needles to explode into tiny sparkling stars, making his body immobile. A soft moan escaped from his lips. Followed by rays of multi-colored light flowing and ebbing, retracing the pattern that the needles had started. Ending with the warmth of brilliant fire bathed in the softness of a candle's glow. Two strong arms encircled his body, keeping him warm and safe.



~Aoshi awoke to a feeling of bliss as his body responded to a stimulus that was generating alarming warmth, radiating from his center. Sinking into the feeling, he was falling into a sea of sparkling ecstasy when a knock on the door promptly brought him back to reality.

"Breakfast is here," came a voice from the hall.

Opening his eyes, he became aware of Soujiro nestled tightly against him with one arm and a leg draped in strategic places on his body. Reaching down he brushed Soujiro's cheek, making a smile appear on his angelic face.

Getting up, Aoshi folded the futons while Soujiro brought in the trays for their breakfast. Each doing what needed to be done without a word being spoken.

Aoshi was puzzled by the lack of conversation from Soujiro. Their normal routine would consist of several attempts from the younger man to pull him into answering questions during the morning preparations but there had been no questions so far.

Thinking that Soujiro may be upset with him from the night before, Aoshi decided to wait awhile before inquiring as to what was bothering the young man.

Leaving the inn they continued on their journey to the Shingetsu Village.

After walking for several hours Soujiro broke the silence by asking, "Can dreams come true?" Without waiting for an answer to his question Soujiro continued. "I had this dream the last two nights and I haven't been able to quit thinking about it. It was the most wonderful dream and I felt like it really happened. I... I... I wanted it to happen. I can't even begin to explain how I felt during the dream. And Aoshi you were in..." he stopped talking, his face blushing. He walked a few more steps before noticing that Aoshi had completely stopped walking.

Aoshi watched as Soujiro turned around to look back at him. The blush on the young man's cheeks gave off a glow that sent Aoshi's emotions spinning. As Soujiro took each step back towards him, the pressure became unbearable. Closing his eyes, Aoshi called upon all the will power that he could, to quell the rampant feelings that were coursing through out his body.

"Aoshi? Are you all right?" the young man asked his smile fading. Standing in front of Aoshi, he waited.

His body under control, Aoshi slowly opened his eyes focusing on a tree to keep from looking at Soujiro. "Dreams?" he asked, taking a deliberate step around the young man.

"Yes, it was a wonderful dream," Soujiro commented, confused at Aoshi's reaction but glad that they were once again walking.

"Dreams can seem very real," Aoshi said, trying to figure out a way to change the subject.

"Yes they can and this one was extremely real," the young man replied, determined to continue with the conversation.

"But you must be careful..."

"Careful? Why? Could a dream hurt me?" Soujiro asked, his face frowning at the thought of a dream being able to hurt anyone.

"Emotions can be hurt as much as being pierced with a sword," Aoshi tried to explain.

Soujiro nodded, thinking about his own emotional break down during his fight with Himura then softly asked, "Have your emotions healed yet?"

"No," came a quiet reply.



~It was early evening when they arrived at the gate of the mansion where Shishio and Kenshin had their first meeting. Soujiro hesitated, letting Aoshi walk ahead to knock on the gate, finding himself a stranger in a place that he had visited many times. Waiting for the gate to open, the younger man walked up to stand next to Aoshi, wishing that their journey had taken them somewhere else.

The gate slowly squeaked open, sending birds flying off frightened by the noise. Soujiro noticed how the place had changed. The outside wall was in desperate need of repair. The weather had been unkind to the perimeter and it looked as if there had been a battle after which no one had taken any interest in fixing any of the damage.

A tall man with long flowing black hair stood just inside the gate as it opened, his piercing gaze taking in the dusty travelers. His eyes opened wide when he recognized Aoshi.

"Okashira," Ryochi exclaimed, giving the travelers a polite bow.

"I no longer wear that title," Aoshi said, returning the bow.

"You will always be Okashira to me," Ryochi replied, opening the gate for them to enter.

The two travelers entered the courtyard, waiting for Ryochi to secure the gate.

"Come in and let me offer you the amenities of our humble home," he said, leading the way into the main house. "Please accept our apologies for the shamble of our estate. We have newly acquired this place and are in the process of repairing all the damage that was done by weather and... um... disgruntled villagers."

Soujiro walked behind the two men, looking around as if there was something in the buildings that troubled him.

"Would you join me for the evening meal?" Ryochi asked, leading the way through the building to the back room.

Aoshi noticed the strange way that Soujiro was acting but felt no danger in the surrounding area. After the talk they had on the way to the mansion, Aoshi decided that letting the young man work out his problem was the logical choice, so he just kept quiet allowing him to follow at a slightly slower pace.

As Soujiro walked into the back room, memories returned of how he had eagerly watched Kenshin eluding Senkaku time and again only to execute the Ryu Shou Sen when Shishio threatened the killers life if he wasn't able to make the fighter show one of the moves of his style of swordsmanship.

Kenshin had deliberately performed the Ryu Shou Sen so that Senkaku's life could be spared, planting a seed of doubt in his beliefs that would grow to crack his shell.

His own fight with Himura that fateful day, had been the first time that he had not won a fight. Covering up his unexpected annoyance with small comments about the disrepair of the sword, he had made a hasty exit.

On the way to give his report to Shishio, he felt a need to find out why the famous fighter had opted to save a killers life. After leaving Shishio, he had waited, knowing that Senkaku would escape. But the answer he received made no sense at all.

"Are you all right?" Aoshi's soft voice penetrated his musings.

"Oh yes, I'm fine. Just thinking too much... don't worry about me," Soujiro said, smiling at the two men standing waiting for him. He busied himself with looking for the raised platform where Shishio had sat that fateful day but the room had been completely remodeled to suit the current owners taste. Smiling, he realized just how much he had changed since that fateful day.

A servant appeared, bowing before handing a piece of paper to Ryochi. Quickly reading the message, Ryochi turned to the two travelers and asked, "Would you join me for some tea while we wait for the meal to arrive?"

"Could we have some special tea prepared?" Aoshi asked, looking over at Soujiro.

"You don't..." Soujiro started to say before he noticed the look on Aoshi's face.

Taking the tea from Aoshi, Ryochi smiled, handing it to the servant. "It shall be done. We can talk about why you are here after we have tea."

As they waited for the tea to arrive, Ryochi controlled the conversation outlining his plans for reconstructing the mansion to accommodate perspective guests. His enthusiasm, regarding the plans he made for the hot spring, kept the visitors entertained while waiting for the tea to arrive.

The servant returned with two teapots and some rice cakes. Pouring the special tea for Soujiro, Aoshi gave the young man a look that inspired him to drink the entire cup.

Ryochi watched as the two guests communicated without saying a word. Setting his cup down, he folded his arms in front of his chest, signaling that he was ready to listen.

Aoshi opened his mouth to speak but stopped when Soujiro began, "Ryochi-san you are aware of the connection between myself and Tsuka-san. Recently Chiko-chan contacted me to deliver a box to Youhio-san. The box contained the Takara that Shishio-sama possessed. But when the box was opened, there was only some useless rocks."

"So you are here looking for the Takara. And you think she has it, ne?" he asked, looking directly at the young man. He continued, "She may have it, I don't know how far she would go to destroy that family."

"I understand. That is why I must speak with her," Soujiro softly replied.

"She always liked you but her hatred is very strong. As we speak she is visiting her sister's grave and will be back tomorrow sometime," Ryochi said, looking down at the table where the servants had placed their food.

The three men ate their meal in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. As the last tea was poured, Ryochi's eyes sparkled when he asked, "Would you, both, join me in the hot spring? Things tend to look better when the body is relaxed and feeling good."

Agreeing to meet the two travelers in the hot spring, Ryochi left the room to attend to the preparations.

"This is not a good time to be here asking about the Takara," Soujiro sadly commented after Ryochi was gone.

"Aa," Aoshi replied.



~In the outer room of the hot spring, Aoshi slowly untied the bindings of his cloths hoping that Soujiro would undress and leave before he had to actually take his clothes off. To avoid any contact, Aoshi tried to stay away from the younger man. Unable to resist he looked over at Soujiro just as he was putting a bucket of cold water over himself. Soujiro was standing, his naked body sparkling with the cold water drops clinging to his creamy white skin.

Aoshi stood and stared, fighting to control his body response to the image before him.

"Are you all right Aoshi-san?" Soujiro asked, smiling when he noticed Aoshi just standing with his eyes closed still half dressed.

Opening his eyes, he looked into the blue depths of Soujiro's. Slowly letting out the breath he was holding, he said, "Yes, I am all right."

"Ok," Soujiro said, leaving the outer room of the hot spring.

Aoshi sighed and then after he poured several buckets of cold water over his body, left the outer room slowly walking toward the pool. Gracefully, he entered the hot water seating himself beside Ryochi.

Relaxing in the hot spring, the three men succumbed to the gentle comfort that the steaming liquid offered.

"I can certainly understand why Shishio built this place. The water has a wonderfully soothing effect on the body," Ryochi stated, letting his body slide farther into the hot liquid.

"I agree Ryochi-san. I was never able to relax in the pool before," Soujiro said, moving about in the hot water, "I like it. But it's making me tired so I will retire for the night."

Standing up, Soujiro slowly made his way to the edge of the pool. Stepping one foot onto the ledge, he raised himself up pausing for a moment to let the droplets of water drip back into the pool before completely leaving the hot spring. Standing on the floor, he carefully turned as he patted himself dry, showing his entire body for anyone in the room who cared to look. Carefully wrapping a yukata around himself, he turned to face the two men.

"Thank you Ryochi-san and good night," Soujiro tiredly said, bowing politely.

The two men wished him a good night, watching as he left the room.

"A very nice young man he is," Ryochi stated, noticing that Aoshi had watched every move of the young man.

"Yes."

"I know you are reading the signs that young man is sending," Ryochi said, adjusting his position in the water so he could be more comfortable, "What's wrong?" Cupping his hands, he swished them back and forth, playing with the water while he waited for Aoshi to answer.

The ripples of water raced toward Aoshi, cresting against his chest, small droplets splashing under his chin. Looking over at Ryochi, Aoshi frowned when he realized that his companion was causing the water to splash him.

"Okashi..." Ryochi stopped, rubbing his chin, "I guess I should get used to calling you Aoshi. But all these years, and me always there to help you in times of trouble. I guess times have changed more than I realized. Being a spy all this time, I only heard rumors of what was happening. I thought that it couldn't happen, but I guess I was wrong on more than one thing..." he rambled on as if he was alone.

"Ryo?" Aoshi asked, letting out a small sigh.

"...but..." he stopped talking looking intently at Aoshi.

"You are a good friend and I am sure that you were aware of what was happening," Aoshi said.

"I never could fool you. But you are doing a good job fooling yourself," Ryochi said, chuckling.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Aoshi replied,

"Don't deny your feelings toward that young man," Ryochi said, swishing the water with both hands. Standing up, he made his way to the edge of the pool. Looking back at Aoshi, lowering his voice, he said, "If you don't take care of him someone else may come along and abuse him. Again."



~Entering their room, Aoshi was relieved to see Soujiro already asleep. He stood for a few moments just watching the younger man sleep, wanting the comfort and peace that he felt when he was with him. But his overshadowing feeling of guilt caused him to break away.

Still feeling relaxed from soaking in the hot spring, Aoshi decided to take advantage of the quiet to meditate. Sitting on his futon, Aoshi closed his eyes, letting his mind wander.

Relaxing into a warm cocoon that sake used to give him, he found himself staggering down a deserted street, the smell of sake pungent. Falling down, he groaned. Looking up into a familiar face, he allowed Naoaki help him to his feet. Leaning into his lovers embrace, he obediently let himself to be led to their room.

As the door opened he walked into a large room, his men waiting for him. He could hear the dull blast of a gatling gun. The sound filling his ears as in slow motion, he watched his men, one by one, fall to the bullets.

His chest tightened as his heart pounded against the inside of his rib cage, every muscle in his body becoming ridged as his anger crested. He jerked, sucking in a deep breath as his eyes adjusted to the dusky room. Resting his head in both hands, he forced himself to concentrate on breathing.

He looked over at Soujiro sleeping peacefully. "I can't let it happen again," he whispered. Closing his eyes, he resumed his meditation, this time with the memories from his past safely put away.



TBC...



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