Jishin Kanemochi was waiting. What he was waiting for was something he had desired for a long time. It was her birthday. He thanked the gods for that. Three years older than Misao, he had lusted after the birthday girl for some time. They had been playmates as small children and he'd watched her grow from the snot-nosed brat she'd once been to the woman before him.
Jishin's father was a rich merchant and one of the most affluent businessmen in Kyoto. To say he didn't approve of his son pursuing Misao was an understatement. The girl was an orphan, she belonged to that group associated with the drug dealer Kanryu Takeda, and she had always been a brat. So Kana Kanemochi informed his son that he would not be allowed to marry until after he was eighteen and the woman he chose as his bride was past that same age. This was quite cunning on his part; he knew there would be a three-year gap between his son's birthday and the girl's.
The young man smiled to himself. There was no way Misao could turn him down. He was attractive, with dark brown hair and vivid green eyes, he was rich, and after he inherited the family business, he would be powerful.
Clutching a bouquet of flowers, he had sauntered down the street and was now staked out in front of the Shirobeko. Misao and her companions had celebrated her last five birthdays at the restaurant and he would be waiting when they arrived.
"Since it's my birthday, can I get drunk? I want plum wine." Misao skipped along ahead of her friends, a happy smile on her face, "I'm all grown up, right?" She giggled, "So it's okay if I get plastered."
"Absolutely not." Aoshi's voice was its usual deadpan. The last thing he needed on his hands was a drunken Misao. He himself didn't drink and -if he could help it- neither would Misao.
"Oh, lighten up, Aoshi-sama!" She looked over her shoulder, winking at him, "You're such a wet blanket!"
A small frown crossed his face. A wet blanket, was he? Well, he was sorry if he spoiled her birthday, but she was not going to be getting drunk. The thought of an inebriated Misao made him shudder inwardly. She was already loud and outspoken without the aid of alcohol. His mental conception of her under the influence was quite terrifying.
Jishin's head snapped up at the sound of Misao's voice pleading with some one to allow her to get hammered. He strode confidently down the street towards her, looking at the flowers to make sure they still looked fresh and hadn't begun to droop.
Ah, she was a sight of perfection standing there in her lovely cobalt kimono, the indigo obi tied around her slender waste. Her hair rustled around her face on the breeze, her long braid quivering down her back.
Only some one who truly loved Misao would have thought she was beautiful at that particular moment. Her face was red and she was yelling at Aoshi, ranting and raving about how she was an adult and could handle a little wine. The ice man looked a little aggravated by the birthday girl's behavior, but he remained calm, his expression one of the utmost disapproval.
"I said 'no,' Misao." His voice was full of warning, conveying the message that she had better shut up if she knew what was good for her.
She made a whumping noise -a sort of "harrumph"- and folded her arms across her chest. Some birthday this was. He still treated her like a baby. She continued walking, her face contorted in a scowl. Nothing was going as she hoped it would.
She was so angry, she just stalked past Jishin, not noticing her former playmate standing there, holding the bunch of flowers. "Misao-chan?" His self-assurance was unaffected by her anger.
"What is it?!" She roared, whiling to face him. Then her face flushed red. "Ji-kun?" She blinked her blue eyes, "Is that you?"
"Happy birthday, Misao-chan." He offered her the flowers and she took them, burying her face in the delicate blossoms and inhaling their sweet perfume. Then she shot Aoshi a look, her eyes seeming to say See?? This is the kind of thing you should be doing for me!
"Arigato, Ji-kun." She smiled sweetly at him, her arms wrapping around him in a tight hug, hoping her affectionate attitude would make her beloved quite jealous. Two years had passed since Aoshi had seen the light during his final battle with Himura and he had only begun to thaw slightly. She was getting tired of waiting, although she would never give up on him.
Truth be told, the kodachi-wielding man was a tad bit jealous. You wouldn't know it to look at him, but he was rather upset to see Misao so comfortable and friendly with another man.
"You've grown up to be very pretty."
Aoshi's frown deepened at the sight of Misao blushing at the boy's words. An unusual emotion was washing over him as he watched the girl who spent most of her time declaring her love for him interacting with this handsome young man as if they were lovers. He was more than a little jealous.
"You don't look so bad yourself. I remember when I used to beat you up while we played together." Misao said affectionately, "You were such a scrawny kid."
"Well, I'm a man now." He said smoothly, "And you're quite the woman."
When she used to…When the hell was that?? Aoshi thought back over the years. He never before had wondered about what Misao had done with herself while he and the others were gone. She must have kept herself amused by playing with this rich boy.
More blushing on Misao's behalf. No one had ever carried on that way over her before. And Jishin was so handsome! Almost as much so as Aoshi-sama. If only he would say things so sweet to her… "So, what are you doing in this part of town?" She asked casually.
"I knew it was your birthday, Misao-chan, and I knew you would be here to celebrate. I came with the intention of telling you this: I love you."
Misao's cerulean eyes nearly bugged out of her face. Her mouth fell open and she tried very hard to shut it. "You…You…You what?" She stammered.
Aoshi's eyes narrowed slightly. So that was the boy's intention all along. Well, he wouldn't stand for it. Misao wasn't going to be reeled in by some hoity-toity rich snob. Not before he had a chance to -Oh, Sweet Buddha! What the hell was he thinking?
"I love you. As of today, since you have reached the age my father desires my bride to be, I'm courting you."
"You're what?!" The female ninja's face turned an interesting shade of scarlet.
He's what?! Aoshi's cold gaze quickly fell upon the young man. Courting Misao? His Misao?! There was no way…He wouldn't allow it. Then he relaxed slightly. Misao won't be interested, he reminded himself, There's no way she would do that to me. She won't betray me for this little brat.
"But…You…I'm…You can't-" A confused expression crossed Misao's face. Everything was so wrong. Aoshi-sama was supposed to be the one giving her flowers and telling her she had grown up pretty. Aoshi-sama was the one who was supposed to be saying he loved her, not some man she used to play in the street with. It was all wrong!
The rest of the Oniwabanshu watched curiously to see how this would play out, their gazes switching from Aoshi to Misao to Jishin and back again. Of course Misao would choose Aoshi…Wouldn't she?
The young woman finally composed herself enough to answer him in a coherent manner. "I'll have to get back to you on that one, Jishin. My friends and I are going to dinner to celebrate my birthday."
Aoshi's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly. Why wasn't she telling him no?? She couldn't be seriously considering his proposal, could she? His throat constricted with rage. Some strange new feeling was overwhelming him. What was this…? He felt numb, empty. Sad. This…this little boy came out of nowhere and…How dare he? How dare he?? If he allowed any emotion to show, anguish would have been written across his face.
Dinner was quiet. Misao looked surprisingly pensive. She was confused. Aoshi-sama hadn't said a word to her about anything since they arrived at the Shirobeko. She wondered what he was thinking, if he was angry at her, if he was sad, if he was jealous. Just once, she'd like to see something other than his usual stony façade.
Aoshi's face held the same expression as always. He looked as calm and collected as he ever did. However, as they say, appearances can be quite deceiving. On the inside, he was dying. His Misao was thinking about other men. He'd taken for granted that she would always love him. What if she fell in love with that kid and left? Would he be able to hide his devastation from the others? What would he do without Misao?
Okina watched with interest as the two ate silently. Every one had been hoping that Misao's birthday would bring pleasant changes to the Aoiya, but it didn't look that way. Aoshi was being his usual brooding self and was as oblivious as ever to Misao's feelings and the poor girl herself…She must've been furious at Aoshi. Here it was, her eighteenth birthday -the most special day in her young life- and he acted as if nothing were different, as if it were the same as every other day. Then Jishin showing up out of the blue after so many years, wishing to claim the lovesick girl as his own…Misao's thoughts must've been a messy jumble.
The old man sighed. Now was not the time to worry about such things. He would have to try and have a good time, for Misao's sake. Later -once they were back home- he could help Misao and (hopefully) Aoshi sort things out.
The birthday girl picked at her food. She did indeed have a lot on her mind. She was deeply hurt by the fact that Aoshi had neither given her any class of a gift nor told Jishin to back off. If only he had told her something earlier, she would have been able to tell her friend "no, she wasn't interested." But he had said nothing. Not "I love you," not "I care about you," not even "happy birthday." Her grip tightened around one of her chopsticks, causing it to snap in half. He acted as if today were nothing special. How dare he?