Endless Pasts
By: Mizu- chan a.k.a Vanilla_fox
Summary: Sujirou finally finds the one for him- but she can't settle down-
or get attached. She's running away from her past- and a lot of people. Of
course, the dear boy is to help, isn't he?
Disclaimer: Ruroni Kenshin, all characters and related indicia are property of someone else. They don't belong to me!
Last Chapter: Suddenly, he smiled. It wasn't a warm smile, or a sardonic one, he just smiled. "I see, you're wishing that I can just surprise an attack on you and kill you? I think you aren't meant to be a kunoichi. It seems to me that you know the darker parts of killing the men you loathe so much, and how it affects the very cause you fight for. the wives and the children?" He turned serious as she visibly flinched. "You see how stupid your cause is, don't you? Hey, if you don't like what you do, why do you do it? You kill an official, then rescue his wife and children, whom he actually loved! So they have to go into your cause, because they think that you are the good guys. Don't you see that you're a pawn?" With that, he disappeared, and Tsukishiro/ Aoi ran away, to the other direction.
"OKASHII!" Everyone looked at Okina, who had wide eyes. "You? YOU? You were the leader of that kami- damned group that dished blames on us?!" Aoi nodded, and bowed, her forehead touching the floor. "Gomenazai. I. I was doing my job. Like you know. how samurais use the ninja." she looked at the others. "I'm very sorry." Then, she stood up. "I'll be leaving now. I shouldn't have. intruded." She opened the sliding door, and was about to leave, when a hand caught the sleeve of her kimono. "It's alright. Stay." She looked at Soujirou, then at the rest. Okina was looking away, and she could sense a very disturbed aura he tried very hard to hide. Then she looked at Kaoru, who smiled and patted the space beside her. "Okina didn't mean that. He. he gets excited, because the Oniwabanshu is still very much alive today." Aoi nodded, and looked outside. (Okashii= ridiculous)
Sujirou looked at her. The look had somehow. a wistfulness in it. He sighed, and stood up. "I'll go get the rice cakes, alright?" Kenshin nodded. "I'll come with you. It's quite a big plate!" Kaoru shook her head. Aoi smiled lightly. "Anou." but she was cut off by Megumi, who pushed her into sitting position quite forcibly. "Sit. Stay. Eat." Aoi looked up at her, with a surprised expression on her face. Megumi laughed like the fox that she was, and she could've sworn, there really WERE fox ears on the woman. Aoi laughed, finally, and picked up a rice cake as Megumi sat down.
Sujirou, meanwhile, talked with Kenshin as they took the rest of the snacks. "How did you meet her?" Kenshin asked casually, with a smiling face. Sujirou shrugged casually. "Oh. in an inn. down in Tokkaido." Kenshin nodded. "Oh. You like her, don't you?" Sujirou, who was eating a mocchi, suddenly choked "HIMURA- SAN!" Kenshin laughed. "Just kidding!" Sujirou gave him a fake glare, and swallowed the remains of the sakura- cake down. "That WASN'T funny!" Kenshin shrugged, and they both turned around as someone cleared his/ her throat. "Kuro- san! Shiro-san! Midori- san! Akai- san!" The four loomed over him menacingly. "So. the little kid has a crush on someone." Akai teased. The rest chuckled menacingly. "Oro." Everyone looked at a swirly- eyed Kenshin, who was pushed aside quite roughly at the mention of a possible gossiping topic.
At the noise, Sano came in, on the request from Kaoru to check on the two men. "What the heck's going on in here?" Everyone looked at each other, and let go of the Tenken, to act as if they were cleaning up. "Why... do you ask?" Akai asked him, with an extremely forced smile. Sano sweatdropped and looked at the swirly eyed Kenshin, and a ruffled looking, still- smiling Sujirou. He sighed adn dragged the two out, back to the sitting room. Eventually, the 'party' went on, until the lamps had to be lit. Sake was served in a while, and food from Lenny's was brought in. Eventually, eyelids began to droop as well, and Doctor Gensai retired with the two girls, Yahiko fell asleep beside Megumi, Misao got slightly tipsy, and Megumi began handing out anti- hangover medicine.
Finally rid of any ceremony, Kaoru, who was also slightly tipsy, looked at Sujirou and Aoi, who were drinking moderately. At least Aoi, anyway. Sujirou, who was still smilng, was downing one cup after another, without batting an eyelash. Everyone just itched to ask him how the hell he did that. Sano, especially. The two loked back at Kaoru, who was exchanging grins with Megumi. "Um... will the two of you be sharing a room?" Nobody except for Aoshi got the reaction anticipated. The two blushed slightly, but continued smiling and drinking, but shook their heads. Kaoru, though disappointed, was not deterred. "Well, we were only expecting Sujirou, you see, and there aren't any other rooms left. Misao and the girls are sharing a room, besides Megumi, who'll be going home, and Sano. Yahiko will be sharing with the boys, and Okina and Aoshi have their own rooms. Kenshin and I have our room, though. Everywhere else is full, you know..."
Aoi smiled at her. "Is there a nearby inn, Kaoru-san?" Kaoru shook her head. "I won't mind having to sleep in here, really." Kaoru tried to look indignant, then she smiled and looked at Aoshi and Okina. "Would the two of you mind sharing a room?" Aoshi was about to answer, but Okina did so before him. "Well, I'm really sorry, Aoi, but I'm an old man, and I sleep a lot, but get woken up easily. And Aoshi wakes up early, you know." Aoi nodded, and stood up. "I should make for the inn then, it can't be that far." As she bowed to all of them, Kaoru gave up and tried a compromise. "I have a screen, though, it can be used to... sort of divide the room into two parts." Aoi agreed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kaoru- san." Aoshi rolled his eyes and carried Misao. "I'll bring her to your room." he told the two other Oni gang members, and walked out. Oina bowed, and left, skipping, and looking rather drunk.
Megumi stood up. "I should be going then, Kaoru. Thank you for the nice time. See you tomorrow, Ken-san!" Sano followed suit. "I can't allow the good doctor to walk home alone, you know." He nodded to them, and walked out as well. Akai and Midori went to 'wash the dishes', and Shiro and Kuro went to bring Yahiko to their room. Kenshin looked at the two weary- looking travellers, and stood up. "Sujirou, would you like to help me set up the screen?" Sujirou nodded, and the two walked out. Kaoru looked at Aoi, who sort-of cowered. Kaoru grinned, and stood up. "Let's go for a bath, and I'll lend you a robe to wear." Aoi nodded, albeit reluctantly, and followed the woman to the bathouse.
Sujirou inched a bit to his left as the screen was set up. It was long enough to almost cover the whole width of the room, but not quite enough. Kenshin looked at their handiwork, and almost beamed, but smiled apologetically at the younger swordsman. "It's alright, I guess, Sujirou nodded, and went to 'his' side of the room. He got his things for a bath ready, and looked at the small screen seperating the two halves of the room. Each panel was about one and a half feet in length, and there were six panels. He sighed. The bottom part of the screen was a criss- crossed patterned wood, where you could somehow see the other side, in glimpses. He shook his head and went out of the room.
A/N: This is going to be sooooo slow. The action starts in the next chapter, alright?? So please, bear with me.
Disclaimer: Ruroni Kenshin, all characters and related indicia are property of someone else. They don't belong to me!
Last Chapter: Suddenly, he smiled. It wasn't a warm smile, or a sardonic one, he just smiled. "I see, you're wishing that I can just surprise an attack on you and kill you? I think you aren't meant to be a kunoichi. It seems to me that you know the darker parts of killing the men you loathe so much, and how it affects the very cause you fight for. the wives and the children?" He turned serious as she visibly flinched. "You see how stupid your cause is, don't you? Hey, if you don't like what you do, why do you do it? You kill an official, then rescue his wife and children, whom he actually loved! So they have to go into your cause, because they think that you are the good guys. Don't you see that you're a pawn?" With that, he disappeared, and Tsukishiro/ Aoi ran away, to the other direction.
"OKASHII!" Everyone looked at Okina, who had wide eyes. "You? YOU? You were the leader of that kami- damned group that dished blames on us?!" Aoi nodded, and bowed, her forehead touching the floor. "Gomenazai. I. I was doing my job. Like you know. how samurais use the ninja." she looked at the others. "I'm very sorry." Then, she stood up. "I'll be leaving now. I shouldn't have. intruded." She opened the sliding door, and was about to leave, when a hand caught the sleeve of her kimono. "It's alright. Stay." She looked at Soujirou, then at the rest. Okina was looking away, and she could sense a very disturbed aura he tried very hard to hide. Then she looked at Kaoru, who smiled and patted the space beside her. "Okina didn't mean that. He. he gets excited, because the Oniwabanshu is still very much alive today." Aoi nodded, and looked outside. (Okashii= ridiculous)
Sujirou looked at her. The look had somehow. a wistfulness in it. He sighed, and stood up. "I'll go get the rice cakes, alright?" Kenshin nodded. "I'll come with you. It's quite a big plate!" Kaoru shook her head. Aoi smiled lightly. "Anou." but she was cut off by Megumi, who pushed her into sitting position quite forcibly. "Sit. Stay. Eat." Aoi looked up at her, with a surprised expression on her face. Megumi laughed like the fox that she was, and she could've sworn, there really WERE fox ears on the woman. Aoi laughed, finally, and picked up a rice cake as Megumi sat down.
Sujirou, meanwhile, talked with Kenshin as they took the rest of the snacks. "How did you meet her?" Kenshin asked casually, with a smiling face. Sujirou shrugged casually. "Oh. in an inn. down in Tokkaido." Kenshin nodded. "Oh. You like her, don't you?" Sujirou, who was eating a mocchi, suddenly choked "HIMURA- SAN!" Kenshin laughed. "Just kidding!" Sujirou gave him a fake glare, and swallowed the remains of the sakura- cake down. "That WASN'T funny!" Kenshin shrugged, and they both turned around as someone cleared his/ her throat. "Kuro- san! Shiro-san! Midori- san! Akai- san!" The four loomed over him menacingly. "So. the little kid has a crush on someone." Akai teased. The rest chuckled menacingly. "Oro." Everyone looked at a swirly- eyed Kenshin, who was pushed aside quite roughly at the mention of a possible gossiping topic.
At the noise, Sano came in, on the request from Kaoru to check on the two men. "What the heck's going on in here?" Everyone looked at each other, and let go of the Tenken, to act as if they were cleaning up. "Why... do you ask?" Akai asked him, with an extremely forced smile. Sano sweatdropped and looked at the swirly eyed Kenshin, and a ruffled looking, still- smiling Sujirou. He sighed adn dragged the two out, back to the sitting room. Eventually, the 'party' went on, until the lamps had to be lit. Sake was served in a while, and food from Lenny's was brought in. Eventually, eyelids began to droop as well, and Doctor Gensai retired with the two girls, Yahiko fell asleep beside Megumi, Misao got slightly tipsy, and Megumi began handing out anti- hangover medicine.
Finally rid of any ceremony, Kaoru, who was also slightly tipsy, looked at Sujirou and Aoi, who were drinking moderately. At least Aoi, anyway. Sujirou, who was still smilng, was downing one cup after another, without batting an eyelash. Everyone just itched to ask him how the hell he did that. Sano, especially. The two loked back at Kaoru, who was exchanging grins with Megumi. "Um... will the two of you be sharing a room?" Nobody except for Aoshi got the reaction anticipated. The two blushed slightly, but continued smiling and drinking, but shook their heads. Kaoru, though disappointed, was not deterred. "Well, we were only expecting Sujirou, you see, and there aren't any other rooms left. Misao and the girls are sharing a room, besides Megumi, who'll be going home, and Sano. Yahiko will be sharing with the boys, and Okina and Aoshi have their own rooms. Kenshin and I have our room, though. Everywhere else is full, you know..."
Aoi smiled at her. "Is there a nearby inn, Kaoru-san?" Kaoru shook her head. "I won't mind having to sleep in here, really." Kaoru tried to look indignant, then she smiled and looked at Aoshi and Okina. "Would the two of you mind sharing a room?" Aoshi was about to answer, but Okina did so before him. "Well, I'm really sorry, Aoi, but I'm an old man, and I sleep a lot, but get woken up easily. And Aoshi wakes up early, you know." Aoi nodded, and stood up. "I should make for the inn then, it can't be that far." As she bowed to all of them, Kaoru gave up and tried a compromise. "I have a screen, though, it can be used to... sort of divide the room into two parts." Aoi agreed. "Thank you for your hospitality, Kaoru- san." Aoshi rolled his eyes and carried Misao. "I'll bring her to your room." he told the two other Oni gang members, and walked out. Oina bowed, and left, skipping, and looking rather drunk.
Megumi stood up. "I should be going then, Kaoru. Thank you for the nice time. See you tomorrow, Ken-san!" Sano followed suit. "I can't allow the good doctor to walk home alone, you know." He nodded to them, and walked out as well. Akai and Midori went to 'wash the dishes', and Shiro and Kuro went to bring Yahiko to their room. Kenshin looked at the two weary- looking travellers, and stood up. "Sujirou, would you like to help me set up the screen?" Sujirou nodded, and the two walked out. Kaoru looked at Aoi, who sort-of cowered. Kaoru grinned, and stood up. "Let's go for a bath, and I'll lend you a robe to wear." Aoi nodded, albeit reluctantly, and followed the woman to the bathouse.
Sujirou inched a bit to his left as the screen was set up. It was long enough to almost cover the whole width of the room, but not quite enough. Kenshin looked at their handiwork, and almost beamed, but smiled apologetically at the younger swordsman. "It's alright, I guess, Sujirou nodded, and went to 'his' side of the room. He got his things for a bath ready, and looked at the small screen seperating the two halves of the room. Each panel was about one and a half feet in length, and there were six panels. He sighed. The bottom part of the screen was a criss- crossed patterned wood, where you could somehow see the other side, in glimpses. He shook his head and went out of the room.
A/N: This is going to be sooooo slow. The action starts in the next chapter, alright?? So please, bear with me.
