Author's Note: I am SO hungry!!!!! Need food…AHEM, ANYways…

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin…but I love it!!!

Chapter 7

Okon squirmed uneasily. Was it safe to open her eyes now? She wished she knew what was going on in Omasu and Okina's minds. If Misao saw this…she would…try to kill them even more earnestly than the time they had gotten rid of her ninja outfits. And having experienced that, she knew it wouldn't be pretty.

Well, if she didn't see it now, she would have to see it later. Bravely, but warily, she opened her eyes.

Shiro and Kuro were off to look for Okina, Omasu, and Okon. Where were they? They had to see the cake they made!!!!

They still didn't know the fate of their cake yet, as they had left it in the kitchen, in search of the others.

"Do you have ANY idea where they are, Shiro?" Kuro panted. They had been searching for what seemed like HOURS now.

"No…don't they even WANT to see our cake? We worked so hard on it…" Shiro sighed.

"Oh well…let's just keep looking…I hope they're not in trouble or anything…should we try the temple? We haven't been there yet." Kuro suggested. It was almost like…like the others were TRYING to avoid them or something. Kuro shook his head. Why would they? They had no reason to…

"The temple? Why would they be at the temple? Hang on…Aoshi is probably there…maybe HE'LL know where they are…" Shiro said, as they headed off in that direction.

Misao still stood against the tree, staring blankly as the wind gently swayed the branches, making the leaves rustle together.

A nasty smelled woke her from her stupor. It smelled strangely and distinctly like…rotten meat and decaying toenails…what COULD that be? She quickly looked down at the bottom of her shoe to make sure that there wasn't a…a SURPRISE down there, waiting for her Aoshi-sama to find…somehow, Aoshi was always the FIRST one to see her when she had done something stupid or something embarrassing.

Oh well…it kind of reminded her of one of the Shiro-and-Kuro-made cakes, that she had been forced to eat on her sixth birthday. She remembered that Aoshi had been forced to eat some too, and was pretty sick by the end of the day—SO sick, in fact, that he couldn't carry out the responsibility of Okashira for the next two days. After two days, though, he was fine, and could ALMOST walk and talk like a normal person again. (Later on, he finally healed fully…)

Then the POSSIBLITY of that smell actually issuing from her birthday cake hit her. Would Okina be so stupid to let them bake again? She hoped not…oh well…she just had to make sure that she told Aoshi her feelings for him before she even took ONE bite of that cake, lest she die at an early age, with Aoshi never knowing how she felt.

Okon opened one eye cautiously and stared at Aoshi. Then she gave a sigh of relief. How could she have doubted him? She was pretty sure NORMAL people would dodge flying lumps. He WAS pretty fast anyway. He had dodged it in time!!! YAY!!!! THEY WERE ALL SAVED!!!!!

Okon then glanced at Okina and Omasu who were both shaking, there hands still covering their eyes. "It's okay to look now…" Okon said reassuringly.

Okina and Omasu looked at Aoshi. "How DID you get him cleaned up that fast!? Wow…Okon…you're good…"

"The cake never hit him…" Okon answered.

"But then…where is…the cake?" All three of them scanned the scene. The cake was nowhere in sight.

"Would anyone mind telling me what is going on?" Aoshi interrupted.

"Oh…nothing…" It was best for Aoshi never to know.

"You were trying to get rid of the cake, right?" So much for Aoshi never knowing.

Okina nodded slowly.

"I believe the 'cake' is over there…" said Aoshi.

They squinted in the direction he was pointing, and spotted what looked like a pile of mud on the ground. It looked better as a pile of mud anyway…

Okina, Okon, and Omasu froze as two excited, fast-approaching figures appeared.

"THERE you are!!!!" Kuro cried joyfully. "Come ON!!!! You all just HAVE to see our cake!!!"

Aoshi looked from Okon to Omasu to Okina, who were all trying unsuccessfully to keep their faces blank.

"We…er…ate it already…" Okina started uncertainly.

"And it was SO good that we…um…ate it ALL…" Okon quickly cut in, while Omasu nodded vigorously. Shiro looked thoughtful for a moment, then his face contorted into what looked sort of like…doubt, as Kuro seemed oblivious to all the guilty faces around him, his smile practically waving signs that said 'they liked our cake!!!!'

"Y-you didn't…um…you know…" Shiro's voice cracked. "You didn't...um…purposely 'eat' it…or get rid of it…right?"

"NO!!! I mean…why…um…would we?" Okina said, as he shifted uncomfortably. Aoshi just stood there, almost amused at the whole situation. For a group of ninjas, these were REALLY bad liars…and Kuro definitely was GULLIBLE, though Shiro seemed to be realizing something not right.

"Well…okay then…you're going to have to tell Misao why she doesn't have a cake for her birthday…" said Shiro, though he wasn't totally convinced.

"Well…"Okina piped up. "I could go to the market and pick one up!!!" (ahem…he could pick up a cake AND do some of his 'important business'…they would never know…)

All the others nodded in agreement, as Okina headed off toward the market.

"Jeez…THAT was close…"Omasu said, as she sighed with relief.

"I felt…kind of…bad." Okon said, looking down at her feet. Shiro and Kuro seemed so proud of their cake…how could they have just thrown it away? True, it DID look much better as a mud pile, but STILL…Shiro and Kuro had worked so HARD on that cake.

"Hey…Okon…come on…what we just did…it wasn't exactly BAD. We did it just to save our lives…anyways, you wouldn't be thinking the things you are now if you had EATEN the cake, would you? You might not even be thinking at ALL…"

"True…true…"

Okina looked down, carefully looking at the cakes the bakery had already made. Which one was the best? Misao had always liked chocolate, so why not get her one of those? But HE never liked chocolate that much…

So why not get an exotic cake that none of them had ever tried before? He looked down at the cakes again, and his stomach lurched when he read one of the 'exotic' flavors off a little card next to the cakes. Curry flavored cake HERE!? The BAKERY makes CURRY flavored cake TOO!? Having just escaped from eating one of those, Okina wasn't too eager to buy ANOTHER one.

Ahem…chocolate it is…

"I'll have that one please…" Okina said, pointing to the chocolate one. He looked up at the girl behind the counter. Wow…she's kind of cute…(A/N: Of course Okina here had MUCH more…er…inappropriate thoughts, but unfortunately if ANY of you wanted to know those thoughts for some reason, here's a reminder: this IS a PG rating…NOT R ).

"Would you like it have anything written on it, sir?" she asked, interrupting Okina's inappropriate thoughts…(thank GOD…)

Okina mumbled few words that were unintelligible (A/N: Or unprintable…).

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" the poor girl asked a little too loudly, since she was SURE she had heard wrong. She could have SWORN that he said something about a 'sexy mama.' If an old man wanted to put the words 'sexy mama' on a cake…well…she shook her head. She didn't want to think of such things, and clouding her thoughts with old perverts was NOT something she liked.

"Huh? Oh nothing, nothing…how about 'Happy Birthday Misao'?"

The girl eyed him strangely, but nevertheless she said "That sounds good, sir…" in a false cheerful voice.

Aoshi walked off, in search of Misao. Where could she be?

Then he spotted her, looking so beautiful there, standing under the tree, absentmindedly smoothing out her kimono. He could just stand there for hours, marveling at how beautiful she had grown, and how fast she had matured.

Does maturity always leave its mark this fast? It almost seemed like it was just yesterday when…when Misao was just a little girl, crying over her dead pet flea or forcing younger and stupider kids to eat her toenail clippings. Now she just seemed so grown up.

Then he remembered. He was here for a reason. He was here to tell her that he loved her.

In three long strides, he was next to her. "Misao." Just that name was enough to send chills down his spine. Was this him? He had NEVER felt this way before…

Misao looked up at the sound of Aoshi's voice and when she realized who it was, she smiled. "Aoshi."

Author's Note:SO…what did you think? Was it good? Should I update? One of my friends, whom I will not name (cough, cough, ANUBIS-SHINIGAMI) suggested that I end the fic HERE at this chapter, and leave the rest to your imagination. Should I listen to my friend or do you have any other suggestions? REVIEW and tell me!!!

Thanks to all who reviewed!!!!!!!!!!!!