If Only You Smile 1
By: Vash-chan aka Makoto Almasy
Rating: PG/PG13
Summary: A SHORT sequel to Ah! My Sempai. With a little help from someone, Makoto reunites with the man she calls Sempai. But are her feelings towards him still there?
Disclaimer: Kino Makoto and Rurouni Kenshin characters don't belong to me.
AN: For RK, this takes place just after the Kyoto Arc. I apologise as usual for anyone being OOC and am open to constructive criticism.
Jiya = Gramps (this is what Misao calls Okina)
Okashira = Commander, leader.
*This chapter has a lot more focus on the Oniwabanshu so Makoto isn't here yet ^_^;;*
****
"Aoshi-sama!" Makimachi Misao beckoned aloud when she entered the temple. As expected, the response being thrown back to her was simply of silence. The young ninja's throat was starting to become sore from saying the same thing over again in the last ten minutes. Aoshi was nowhere to be seen at his usual place. "Aoshi-sama, I know you enjoy privacy but Jiya wants you to join us for dinner." She wondered whether that was detailed enough to make him come out to greet her in person. She knew he must be hungry. He hadn't eaten a proper meal this week due to his daily routine of sitting in deep silence and it was rare for him to share mealtimes with the rest of his comrades.
What on earth was Aoshi up to if he wasn't in the main part of the temple? Did he find the ninja girl to be a little distracting these days? Didn't he trust the rest of the Oniwabanshu enough to make more contact? Thinking of these possibilities made Misao frown unexpectedly. She knew in her heart that he did care about her and she loved him for showing such sympathy towards someone like her. It was a pity he never really smiled as often whenever he was happy with something or showed his kindness. All these years she had wanted to see him smile - for real. It would suit his handsome face and make him appear less cold in public. His ice blue eyes would dazzle if he showed this façade, wouldn't they?
Misao called him again, this time louder. Her voice disturbed the birds nesting in the trees outside the temple and their wings fluttered noisily when they retreated from their homes. Was Aoshi walking outside in the wonderful sunshine? It wouldn't surprise her if he were going on a gentle stroll in the temple's large garden. The essence of summer arrived this month and had never stopped shining onto the small towns of Kyoto. Constant daylight had enhanced the green shades of every single tree in the forests, improving the beauty of nature's true self. It almost appeared that nature was extremely happy these past days. Even everyone in town was happy too. Well, not exactly everyone.
Misao wasn't certain whether she was like everyone else. Sure she was happy when the fight against Shishio Makoto ended dramatically and when Aoshi-sama had returned. But there was something missing in her surroundings ever since the battle disappeared. Although the real Oniwabanshu Okashira was back, he still remained as the stoic figure everyone was used to. The man who seldom smiled as much and sought solitude. Misao had been trying so hard to let Aoshi know how she really felt about him by showing her generosity and obedience. However it had never been easy to talk to someone like him about many things. He would simply stare emotionlessly at the person leading the conversation.
Each time she delivered food or gave him an umbrella on a rainy day, he wouldn't pull one big smile in front of her youthful face. Saying 'thank you' only came once in a while, though it wasn't as effective as grinning to show his gratitude. Misao normally had to leave him alone whenever he was meditating, since the words 'do not disturb' seemed to be painted at the back of his head. As someone who truly respected him Misao always let the Kodachi wielder sit in peace and went back to the Aoiya to do other chores. She decided to search for Aoshi elsewhere in the temple.
"Aoshi-sama, the food's gonna get cold if you don't come back to the Aoiya," Misao yelled and ran down the path surrounding the entire temple, hoping to pick out a tall dark haired man lurking somewhere in the bright colours of day. He shouldn't take this long to respond to her voice. This guy was an awesome swordsman. Why else was he picked as the Oniwabanshu Okashira? He had skill. Aoshi wasn't in any other rooms within the temple and Misao decided to look outside in the garden. Her eyes enlarged delightfully when she spotted him walking past trees of Sakura blossoms. He was always handsome. No matter how dry or wet the weather appeared. "I was wondering where you went." Aoshi was about to reply but she interrupted quickly, "Oh don't worry about apologising to me. Everyone is waiting for you. Come on."
Smiling cheerfully, Misao jumped ahead like a scampering mouse whilst Aoshi took his time walking as they headed towards the front entrance to the temple. Misao didn't have to turn around to check that Aoshi was still following her. She could easily sense him tagging along. However, apart from knowing that he wasn't far behind, she also could see that Aoshi was hiding something from her when he was looking at the flowers. Of course she was used to him acting like this. That was his main characteristic, wasn't it? Only this time, Misao's curiosity was beginning to overtake her mind by a stronger level than usual.
****
The dinner at the Aoiya was relatively quiet, which didn't surprise Misao one bit while she continuously watched Aoshi eat away in silence rather than focus on her own bowl of rice. General conversations didn't really turn up around the table, although Okina had given the usual 'How are you feeling today?' approach to Aoshi. The Oniwabanshu Okashira had then responded with 'I'm getting better each day' as his occasional answer. It was a little boring to hear the same question being asked but at least it was an indication to everyone that the Shinomori Aoshi they knew was there in front of their eyes. He just needed time to find solace and peace for the actions he had made before.
"Are you returning to the temple?" Okina asked when the tall Kodachi wielder stood up from the table.
"My time at the temple is over for today. I'm going for a walk," Aoshi answered then strolled out of the room. Misao was about to say something but Okina touched her hand and shook his head, gesturing her to be silent and let Aoshi leave.
"Jiya," She muttered angrily, "I wanted to ask if I could go with him. Why did you stop me?"
"Aoshi still needs more time to himself," Okina replied. "I don't think he's quite ready to be open around us yet."
Misao pouted disappointingly then stared at the empty bowl the Okashira left behind. He didn't seem to have eaten a lot from what she could see. Did he only have one small bowl of rice? Misao had lost count on how many helpings *she* had had during dinnertime but she knew for sure she was the one who ate the most. She was just so hungry from running back and forth in the temple to find Aoshi that she didn't realise she had used a lot of energy all at once.
Okina disturbed her quiet pondering and said, "There is something you could do to keep your worries away. Why not see whether Aoshi's bedroom needs a bit of cleaning? I'm sure he'll be pleased with you if you did that."
Her bright blue-green eyes grew delightfully, "What a good idea!" She threw a happy grin to her grandfather and ran out of the dining room. Wow Jiya can be real smart sometimes Misao thought when she approached Aoshi's bedroom door down the hallway. He'd have to be pleased with her for doing such a generous chore. It was bound to get him smiling, right? It just had to. He would thank her then show a wonderful smirk to suit his amazing face. Maybe then he'd stay in the Aoiya and spend more time with the rest of the Oniwabanshu because they were his comrades. Misao giggled in her daydream before sliding the doors open to enter the bedroom.
There was rarely a time when Misao ever went into Aoshi's room. Like the rest of the guys here, she respected his privacy whether he was in the temple or in his bedroom. She could see that the bedcovers remained flat on the ground without any creases and a stack of books was in a tidy pile on the study desk. How could Misao forget that Aoshi spent some of his time alone, reading? She drew her finger on the first book to check for any dust on the cover. It seemed that Aoshi was capable of keeping his room as clean as possible, even though he didn't always show up at the Aoiya as much. Either that or he had been in here a lot and nobody else encountered him at the same time.
Satisfied with the cleanness of the books, Misao moved on to check the rest of the room. She didn't know where Aoshi-sama kept his clothes. It was likely that he kept them at the temple if he ever spent more than a day over there rather than here. Still, that white trench coat he liked to wear was folded neatly on top of his bed. Misao bent down beside the bed and observed the jacket, admiring the feel of the material between her fingers and the bright yellow colour of the lapels. Lifting the garment into the air, she noticed how it looked great when it was worn on Aoshi. It made him stand strong against the enemy; intimidated them and gave the message 'don't mess with Shinomori Aoshi of the Oniwabanshu.' That was what Misao liked about him. It was his strength and courage on the battlefield.
As she examined the other parts of the Okashira's coat, her head tilted past the garment to notice something poking out from beneath the pile of books on the desk. How come her eyes didn't catch anything before when she first came into the room? She should have seen whether there was dust on the entire desk rather than just the books. She placed the coat into its original position on the bed then walked back to the desk to see what it was that caught her eye a minute ago. Her captivation in clothing must have taken her mind off the real layout of the room and made her miss some obvious objects lurking around her. At first glance the object poking out from the bottom of the pile of books was most likely to be folded up paper.
The young ninja was about to unfold the paper when something struck her mind. Was this even a good idea? She was being a bit *too* curious behind Aoshi's back, wasn't she? What if he caught her? He might scold her and he'd be the same as always. Silent and emotionless. Her chances of impressing him would vanish hence he'd never ever smile at this level. But then again, Misao was desperate to know what was on the Okashira's mind right this moment. Understandably he was still uneasy from the fight against Shishio Makoto but that had passed. There was something else bothering him. Jiya could see it with his own eyes and Misao was starting to get the same impression as well. So what was it that disturbed Shinomori Aoshi this time, if it wasn't the previous battle?
Her fingers wavered hesitantly around the piece of paper. Should she leave it alone or see what was inside? Her curiosity was growing by the minute. She wanted to know what kind of secrets Aoshi had if he never expressed them openly in front of the others. If she wanted to find out more about him then she'd have to do something behind his back just this once Maybe it's folded up to be a bookmark Misao thought eventually, her worries vanishing quickly. Using both her hands, she unfolded the piece of paper until it was wide open. What she saw on the surface wasn't based on written text. The entire layout of the paper was filled with different colours of ink and a portrait outline could be seen in front of the ninja's eyes. This definitely wasn't Aoshi-sama himself. He never had long brown hair or bright green irises. This was a picture of a young woman in a pink kimono. Someone who was perhaps the same age as Misao.
Like a quick jab from a needle, a fast thought struck the braided girl's mind. Was this a painting of his *girlfriend*? Did Jiya and the others know Aoshi-sama had someone in his life? Did she even exist? Misao noticed the elegant writing on the right hand corner of the page. "Kino Makoto," She read slowly. It wouldn't have come as a surprise if that was the name of the brown haired girl, considering how graceful it sounded when said aloud. The girl looked so gentle and kind, even though this was a painted portrait. Misao scanned the background of the painting and saw how colourful each flower was. The plants were scattered around the girl's feet as she sat on the grass, smiling serenely.
She looks like she's a part of nature Misao thought in awe then suddenly spotted another bit of writing at the bottom of the page. It was the artist's name, Yuuki Takashi. Why did this name ring a bell? Ah yes. She had heard of this man before. He was a veteran artist who drew and painted pictures by request and had a store not far from the Aoiya. Aoshi-sama must have asked him to create a picture of this girl called Kino Makoto. Misao's main concern right now was whether this female in the painting was real or not.
"Maybe Yuuki Takashi will know about this painting," She said and folded the paper in half, sprinting out of the Aoiya without letting anyone catch her.
****
Yuuki Takashi was a man in his forties. Half bald and skinny, he almost represented an entire skeletal figure without any flesh. Despite his anorexic look, his name was well known among the town for his amazing paintings by request and was still appreciated for his own drawings of landscapes and legendary figures. Misao found his store a few metres down from the Oniwabanshu HQ and saw he was indulging himself through a newspaper. She cleared her throat to get his attention away from the article he was reading.
"No requests for now, Miss. I'm having a break," Takashi stated in a flat tone.
"Hey I'm not here to ask you to draw something for me," Misao answered. "Uh, at least not today." She unexpectedly giggled, imagining a portrait of Aoshi-sama in her room that was neatly tucked underneath her pillow. However her laughter vanished when the dark braided girl spotted an impatient scowl on the older man's face. "Sorry I was being stupid there." Calming down, she dug into her pocket to fish out the picture she had recently discovered and showed it to Takashi. "You did this picture, right?"
The man leaned over his outdoor table and after a few minutes of observing smiled when he recognised his work. "A young man gave me a very precise description of a woman he met long ago. He mentioned how much she admired flowers and what a strong-hearted person she was. I paid a lot of attention to the colour of her hair, eyes and the colour of the petals in order to bring out all these aspects." His smile faded instantly as his voice lowered. "You know when I first saw that man I could have sworn there was some sadness lurking behind those eyes of his. This Kino Makoto woman must mean a lot to him if he asked me to draw a special person he knew."
Misao's eyes widened. So this girl *did* exist. She *was* someone in Aoshi's life. But was she still alive? That was what the ninja girl needed to know. "Hey, Mister where can I find her?" Takashi rubbed his forehead as he began to think carefully. He was sure that that handsome yet sad young man mentioned more about this woman, apart from her looks and personality. Two silent minutes went by and Misao was losing her patience. She prompted the artist for an immediate answer. "Well?"
"I think he said she was from Osaka," Takashi replied uncertainly.
"Osaka?" She echoed. Now that he managed to give her an answer this meant one thing to her. She had to go to Osaka to find the girl in person. Of course it would take a while to find where Kino Makoto was but she was certain that this girl would be there somewhere. The ninja could find out how the girl knew Aoshi. Maybe this Kino Makoto could help her understand more about him if possible. Who would have thought that curiosity could be beneficial in the end? Misao pondered. Folding the paper into her pocket, she left Takashi's outdoor store and set off to Osaka without any further thought.
TBC
My estimation to how many chapters there are to a story is normally wrong (XD) but I'm guessing there will be at least 5 or 6 chapters for this.
