Kitten Kisses A/N:

(sorry, long a/n today.......) The storyline won't
pick up until everyone starts separating into groups and such-forth and
going on 'missions'. ^__^ And that's also where the romance will start up.
^-~ And not just 'damsel in distress'. Overdose on that and you'll meet
your demise. ^^;;

And the Christianity picks up this chapter, expect lots of it for awhile.
Okay? This won't be a 'let's get everyone we know saved' fic, but there
will be several Christians around. NO, Aoshi doesn't meditate. Lol! But
he's not a Christian yet either. ^-~ And if you're offended by
Christianity, sumimasen. Suck it up.

And for all you Soujirou fans, he gets his angst part, as does Misao. And
yes, Sou-chan and Misao-chan will become the best of friends, and they'll
gang up on Aoshi-sama (the poor guy). ^^;;;

Hm.......now, this story will be a giant songfic.......haha.......well,
sort of. Some chapters will be based on angsty songs(I hope). So, do you
have any? Give me the song name, and singer please. I think Sarah Mclachlan
(sp?) has some angsty songs, but I'm not sure. Lol! The only ones I know
are pretty much Christian. Haha. Well, let me know. ^__^

The song for this chapter is, "Is There A Heaven For Me" sung by Ray Boltz.
I changed the 'she' to a 'he' for my story's purposes, alright? So the
child in the song is really a girl, not a boy.......but I changed it cause
I'm allowed.

Can everyone say, Missionary?

Disclaimer: I do not own Ray Boltz songs, or anything else really. I own
the dogs, horses, and Amaura and Kilika, but the rest of the Kenshin-gumi I
don't own....... =( I wish I did though! It'd be nice! ^___^

A/N: Hi!!! Sorry for taking so long to update but I was considering taking this chapter out or making some changes but  I'm just putting up this chapter the way KK wrote it since I can't change much of it. I'm not Christian so there's probably not going to be too much Christianity in here. Not that I have anything against Christian, cuz' some of my best friends are Christians. Well anywayz here's the next chapter.
~*~

Is there a heaven for me?
A place I won't be hungry or cold

That is a place that I would love to see

Is there a heaven, for me?

~Ray Boltz, "Is There A Heaven For Me?"

~^*_~^*_~^*_+_*^~_*^~_*^~

His small head pressed against the crude door to the large building before
him. He could hear a man inside, talking loudly and his voice carried out
the windowless building into the cold winter air.

He heard him preaching
In the church

His small hands clutched at the torn dirty clothing he was wearing, and his
face stung sharply from the cold. The wind blew strongly on this blistery
winter day, almost howling through the sparse foliage that still existed.
The trees were stripped bare of green, and the ground was covered with
fresh white snow.

He tried
But he could not get in

The building would surely be warmer than the open-spaced outdoors. His
small white hands fumbled for a handle, a hole, or any possible way to get
inside of the structure. He licked his wind-chapped lips lightly and ran
around back to see if there was a way inside. There was not.

He was a lonely child
On the street

He found a small impression in the snow beside the back wall of the
building, and he wriggled his body inside to listen to the strange words
that were being spoken. The words gave him a strange sense of comfort,
though he did not know their meaning, or what was being said. And while he
listened, he pulled something from his gi.

The wind was cold against his skin
The wind was cold against his skin

The small snow-globe glowed in the winter evening light. The man and the
woman smiled from inside of the little glass globe, and the snow fell on
them, and they smiled. The boy wondered how the couple could be smiling in
the cold, when it chilled him so much. Their cabin fairy glowed with a
strange sense of hope, and peace radiated outward into the dark night.

He heard the sound of strange new words
That someone else would then explain

He tucked the globe- his only possession- securely back into his gi. Then
he listened attentively to what the man inside was saying. He didn't
understand what was being said, but somehow, the words came to his mind in
his own language.

They spoke of Heaven
And a savior's name

He wondered what this, 'Heaven' was. And why this man was speaking so
highly of it. Then, knowledge came to him. It was a place of refuge from
the cold harsh life. How nice it would be to live in a place such as that.
A place where he would never be cold, never be tired.......

They said that Jesus
Was his name

A savoir....... If he saved people from broken lives, then he surely was a
savior. A savior among men, and a man to be looked up to. He hugged his
arms to his body and wished for a better life.

Is there a Heaven for me?
A place I won't be hungry or cold.......

Jesus sounded like a nice man, and the way the man in the church was
speaking of him, he had to be a good person. He wished that he could
someday meet someone as nice as him. Somehow, he just knew that Jesus must
live in the paradise known as Heaven. It seemed to suit him and the way
the man inside the building spoke of him.

That is a place that I would love to see
Is there a Heaven, for me?

Well, was there? Was there a heaven for him? He thought about it for a
long while, his ill-fitting clothes slipping from his shoulders. He
wrapped his arms around himself again, savoring the momentary warmth for as
long as he could. Then the chill seeped back through his bones with a
shudder.

Thoughts plagued his mind as he listened. Would he ever be a part of this
Heaven place? He surely wanted to be. He caught the words of the man
inside, and he was saying something about Heaven being a place for 'happy'
people. He wasn't happy, so would he not be accepted into such a glorious
realm of love and bliss?

He waited patiently for hours
Until at last he saw him leave

He watched the people leave the church, one by one the foreign-looking
people stepped from the building and into the darkened night. He knew that
these people were not of the same origin as himself. Most had lighter skin
and different hair colors. But there were a few Japanese in the mix. One
family stood out to him the most.

A Japanese man of medium height stood beside a smaller western-looking
woman with black hair and sparkling blue-green eyes. Clinging to her
kimono was a small girl of no more than five years, her wide eyes just like
her mother's catching his in the dark. And the small girl's mother's words
in his own tongue caught the wind and flew to him, and he listened.

"That was a nice service, wasn't it anata?" she smiled, holding her
husband's arm.

"Aa.......it was," he answered shortly.

"Too bad it's the last one.......it's a shame. But there will be more
services, ne?"

"Aa, there will be."

She brightened. "I'm glad. They're really inspiring."

"They are," he agreed. "We'd better get back home though koishíi. Before
the snow covers the road."

"Hai!" she smiled, and picked up the little girl, whose eyes were still
trained on him.

"Okaa-san!" she protested. "I can walk, you know."

"Hai, I know. But don't you want to get home?"

"Hai. Is Kiva still in the wagon, do you suppose?"

"Aa musume. She'll be there."

"Kiva!" the small girl yelled, her long braid flying in the breeze.

At her call, a dog's head popped out of a nearby wagon, barking excitedly.
The little girl's enthusiasm seemed contagious, as her father put an arm
around his wife and led his little family to the wagon.

The little girl jumped into the back of the wagon kicking up straw and
buried herself in the warm light grass. The dog settled herself next to
the girl, and she hugged her pet's neck. "I love you Kiva!" she giggled,
and Kiva licked her hand.

"What about your Okaa-san?" her mother asked.

"And your Tou-san!" her father chimed in. "Don't you love us?"

"Sure I do Okaa-san! And you too Tou-san! Aisúru!"

The small boy smiled forlornly and watched their wagon as the two black
horses pulled it out of sight.

Wouldn't it be nice to be a part of a family again?

~*_~*_~*_+_*~_*~_*~

He shut the Bible lightly, and sighed tiredly. It was his last day
teaching here at this church, for he was going back to America for a few
years. His birthplace, so far away. He had come to Japan to spread God's
word to his father's people. He was only 18, and the youngest Missionary
to ever come to Japan.

The people here weren't very accepting of what he taught, but there were
still the few Americans who had come to Japan to learn of the culture. And
they came regularly to his services. They were only once a week, on
Sunday, and he made sure to make them long enough to last the brothers and
sisters of the church a week.

And now he was leaving. After a year-and-a-half of teaching and showing the
way to Heaven, he was going home. Back to his fiancée that he'd left in
New Jersey, his lovely young bride.......Tsubake. He sighed contentedly.
He hadn't seen her in so long. He couldn't wait until his wedding day.

He promised the Makimachi family that he would be back to visit them when
he had a family. Technically though, he already had a family. Tsubake's
younger siblings would be under their care after their reunion. He'd taken
a liking to Jun and Seishuku Makimachi and their little daughter Misao.
They were such nice people.......

He packed up his few possessions in the church and locked them inside a
briefcase
that lay on the first row pews. He stood in the doorway, facing the
church, and gave a silent farewell.

He stepped out into the cold snow, and walked around back to where he'd
left his horse. Suddenly, a small child ran before him, speaking quickly
and making no sense.

He couldn't understand the words
He said

"Whoa!" he smiled, bending over to put a hand on the boys head. "Speak
slowly son, it's hard for me to understand you." He heard the boy rattle
off a string of half-English, half-Japanese phrases that he couldn't quite
understand.

"Nán desu ka?!"

"What's what son?"

"Heaven, nán desu ka!?"

"Ah......." he said, patting the skinny child. "Téngoku, sore subarashíi!"

"Hontoo?"

"Aa......."

So he asked
"Tell me, what he means"

"Dái ichí no, Onamae wa? Namae wa Anji to iimásu." [First, what is your
name? My name is Anji.]

"Namae wa Soujirou to iimásu."

"Well Soujirou, what did you want to know?"

Is there a Heaven for me?
A place I won't be hungry or cold

Anji felt his heart constrict at the boy's words. He.......he wanted to
know if he would be allowed into the kingdom of Heaven even if he didn't
smile.

That is a place that I would love to see
Is there a Heaven, for me?

The boys blue eyes shone with tears as Anji pulled him into a hug. "Of
course Soujirou.......of course......." he mumbled. "Though, smiling does
help." He smiled kindly at the child, and began to tell him about God and
Jesus, and the wonderful realm known as Heaven.

And on the street they knelt and prayed
And on that night

Soujirou's eyes held a new spark when he lifted his eyes up to Anji's brown
depths. "Arígatoo......." he mumbled lightly, and a smile broke out on his
face. I'll smile, for Jesus," he told the young preacher. "Would he like
that?"

"Aa, I'm sure Jesus would love that," he told him.

A child was saved
Listen closely, you'll hear more than just this boy

"I'm glad." Soujirou pulled the small globe from his gi and watched the
snow fall onto the happy people inside. "Do you suppose they know Jesus?"

"Maybe," Anji answered. "Dóo shite?"

"Because they're smiling......."

You'll hear the children
Of the world

Anji felt his eyes watering up. This child used simple logic so
wisely....... "Aa," he answered, swallowing thickly. "But it's alright to
cry, even if you do know Jesus. He'll understand."

Soujirou blinked rapidly. He shook his head vehemently. "But I don't want
Jesus to be sad because of me......." he told Anji. "I want him to be
happy."

Anji pulled the little boy into a hug. "He is happy Soujirou.......He is.
He's happy because you're his friend. Don't forget it........"

You'll hear the children
Of the world.......

"Anji-san......." Soujirou mumbled. "Could you teach me......."

"Hai?"

"Inóru.......onegai?" [to pray, please?]

"Aa, of course I will Soujirou......." Anji promised, and folded his hands.
"Do it like this......." he started, instructing the young boy how to
pray. "Just remember....... the
Lord God is always listening, and you don't have to pray aloud for him to
hear. Just pray from in here......." he told him, patting his heart. "God
will listen to every word."

"Hontoo?"

"Aa......."

Is there a Heaven for me?
A place I won't be hungry or cold

"Doomo arígatoo gozaimásu Anji-san......."

"Dóo itashimáshite Soujirou-chan, Dóo itashimáshite......."

"When will I get to see Heaven?"

That is a place that I would love to see
Is there a Heaven for me?

"Not for awhile Soujirou-chan, not for awhile, God willing."

"Dóo shite?"

"You go to Heaven when you leave this place Soujirou-chan."

"I wouldn't mind leaving......." Soujirou pondered.

Is there a Heaven for me?
A place I won't be hungry or cold

"Oh Soujirou, God would be sad to see you have to leave here so soon.
Heaven is a reward for a life well-lived. After you live your life, you go
to live with Jesus in the clouds. God wants you to live your life out down
here on Earth first......."

"Hontoo?"

Aa, he does. You want to make God proud, ne?"

"Hai......." he nodded slowly.

Anji patted his head. "Keep your chin up, alright Soujirou? When times get
rough, just remember that God's with you, no matter where you go or what
happens." Anji stood up, and set his hat on his head. Then he thought
better, and placed the large warmly-knit cap on little Soujirou's head.
"Keep warm son," he told him, kneeling down to give him a hug.

"Dónna ni?" [how?]

"Just remember that God's in here," he told him, placing his large hand
over the little boy's heart. "He'll warm your heart and soul......."

"Doomo arígatoo gozaimásu, mata......." he stated clearly. "No tame ni
zémbu." [Many thanks, again. For everything.]

"Dóo itashimáshite Soujirou-chan. Perhaps we will meet again someday."

Soujirou smiled up at him. "That would be nice Anji-san."

That is a place that I would love....... to see
Is there a Heaven, for me.......?

"And if not......."

"I'll see you in Heaven," Soujirou said firmly. "Ne?"

"Aa, that is true."

Is there a Heaven....... for me?

"Sayonara Anji-san....... I'll see you again."

"Sayonara Soujirou-chan," Anji said, turning around and walking to his
horse. Soujirou watched the tall preacher gallop off in the distance, his
stead kicking up the powdery snow behind him.

He'd asked the question that he'd wondered about.

Is there a Heaven.......
For me?

And the answer.......was yes.

He put his hand over his heart and felt the warmth seep into his cold hand.

And he smiled.

~*_~*_~*_+_*~_*~_*~

Soujirou looked out at the landscape anxiously, his hand over his heart.
The warmth was still there, even after all those years of hardships, pain,
and suffering. He watched the figures of Yumi and Houji's horses galloping
off, and he saw Aoshi-san slip into the shadows.

He worried. Worried for the young woman out in the forest....... What if
Yumi and Houji did find her?

Dear Heavenly Father.......

Please protect the young woman out there. Help Aoshi-san to get to her
before something terrible happens. And give him the strength to fight if it
is needed. Give this young woman your protection, the same as you did for
me all these years. She surely needs it, because I know what it's like to
be where she now is. Show her mercy God, and help her along the pathway.
Let your will me mine also.......Amen.

His blue eyes shimmered at the memories of his childhood, stripped away
before he wanted it to be, burned and slashed....... He felt something
nudge his side, and he looked down to see Autumn pushing her small black
nose against his leg.

He bent over to pat the dog on the head, and saw a pair of sandals beside
the dog. He looked up to see a young woman with black hair and dark blue-
ish eyes.

"She wanted to see you," the young woman explained. "She was worried."

"Thank you Kilika," he told her.

"What were you doing just then?" she asked.

"That?" he smiled. "I was praying."

~*_~*_~*_+_*~_*~_*~

Aoshi looked down at the small girl in his arms. She was so small, it was
hard to believe she was even real. He had to wonder how Soujirou had known
that she would need assistance.

She wouldn't be able to eat hardly anything for a long time.......he
reasoned to himself. She couldn't have possibly eaten anything for the
past few days, and even before that, he could only guess how much she'd
eaten.

Probably not anything worth being considered food.

He felt something hit his knee, and looked beyond the girl he held to see
her braid hanging down over his hand and downward. The small gold-colored
clasp that held the braid in place was knocking against his knee, and he
picked it up in his left hand, balancing her with his right. He set the
braid in a coil on her stomach, and adjusted her again so that he could
carry his twin kodachi's.

Fury nudged her bare foot with his nose and sneezed lightly.

Aoshi looked down to see the burns and scars on her feet. He cringed
inside, but, on the outside, he didn't so much as twitch.

The German shepherd sneezed again, and walked alongside his master,
sniffing the air occasionally, probably making sure Houji and Yumi really
were gone this time. Aoshi was glad the two were gone, and hoped he would
never have to see them again.

If they did return, they'd probably be killed before they even reached the
front gate of the Aoiya.

There was no way two fighters could get past more than twenty ninja's
trained in many different styles. He himself knew kenpo, and the Nitou
Kodachi Ryuu. Nobody would be able to get past the Oniwabanshuu members.
They were just too good for that.

Why had they wanted this young woman anyway? She wasn't strong enough to
actually DO any work for them.......unless.......

His face paled slightly. He silently cursed the couple. Now he knew what
they were up to. Soujirou most likely had figured it out also. He would
ask the young man if he knew EXACTLY what the two were up to. There could
be more to it than he knew.

He had the strange feeling that something was brewing.......and he wanted
to know exactly what. He quickened his pace and made it back to the Aoiya
within minutes. "Fury, come," he ordered.

Fury trotted alongside him, and Aoshi entered into the kitchen where Omasu
and Okon were chatting with Tae and Souzou.

When they saw him, their faces paled and their mouths dropped.

"What?!" Souzou exclaimed, leaving the company of the three women to find
out what was going on.

"Souzou," Aoshi ordered. "Find Shura and Kenshin. Have them patrol the
grounds along with Kamatari and Saitou. Make sure that nobody, I mean
NOBODY makes it inside."

"Yes Okashira," Souzou saluted, and dashed off.

"Okon, go to Megumi-sensei and tell her I am coming. Omasu, you go as
well. I will be putting this young woman in your charge's."

"Yes Aoshi-san."

Okon dashed off and Omasu followed. He walked slowly so as to not jar the
girl too much. He got some stares from a few people, but his famous 'ice
glare' told them not to ask questions yet.

"Oh my!" Megumi paled when she saw the young woman in his arms. "Put her
down over there." She pointed to a pallet on the floor, and Aoshi obliged.

"Okon and Omasu will help you with her," he told them. "Come to me if she
wakes up."

He waited for their nod of acceptance, and left quickly to change from his
ninja uniform into a simple white yukata.

She had, after all, bled all over his uniform.

After he had changed, he went to look for Soujirou. He had some questions
for the
young man that he wanted.......NEEDED.......answered. If Soujirou didn't
know, then he would ask Sanosuke for his assistance in the matter as well.

He finally found Soujirou talking with Kaoru's sister, Kilika. Soujirou's
dog was at his feet panting happily.

"Soujirou," he said simply.

"Hai Okashira?"

"I need to speak with you."

"Certainly Aoshi-san. I will speak with you later Kilika-dono." Soujirou
left Kilika's company and started to walk with Aoshi. "What did you want
to speak with me about, Okashira?" he asked, and watched Aoshi's dark
expression. "It must be important."

"Aa, it is."

~*_~*_~*_+_*~_*~_*~

KK:
Mwahaha! That's the end of chapter 5, yah, yah. I hope you enjoyed it.
^.^ The song is one of my favorite's, most definitely. ^.^ This chapter
was shorter than most, but ehhh...... I wanted to leave it there. The next
chapter, Misao might wake up, things will happen, more characters will show
up.......blah.......blah.......

I bet you weren't expecting Anji to be the preacher! Let's just say that
he's not a fallen monk in this. And, just so you know, he looks like he did
BEFORE Tsubake and co. died in the anime. ^^;; Only, they lived in my fic.
^__^ Poor Anji, didn't want him to be all alone! And he has.......*gasp*
HAIR IN THIS FIC! I thought about making Hiko be the preacher
but......*cough* It wouldn't have worked. He would have probably called Sou-
chan a 'baka'.......lol

Well, what did I tell you? The Spiritual stuff picked up in here, you found
out that *gasp* Soujirou's a Christian too! Aww....... I love Sou-chan,
therefore I had to give him SOMETHING cool to do. Anyway, I hope you liked
this! Soujirou and Misao will become great friends, but they won't be
paired. Remember, it's Aoshi/Misao. ^^;;;;

See you all, and I really would appreciate a review for this chapter! ^___^

~~Okashira Misao

PS. REVIEWWWWWW or I might change my mind and make you a mind slave after
all! Haha!

Japanese Terms.......(I know, they're so cool.......lol)

Anata- darling/dear/beloved. A wife to her husband

Aa- yes, masculine

Ne?- right?

Koishíi- dear/honey/sweetheart. A man to his wife

Hai- yes, yeah, okay

Okaa-san- mother

Tou-san- father

Musume- daughter

Aisúru- I love you, child to parent

Nán desu ka?- what is it?

Téngoku, sore subarashíi- Heaven, it's wonderful

Hontoo- really

Dái ichí no, Onamae wa? Namae wa Anji to iimásu- First, what is your name?
My name is Anji.

Namae wa Soujirou to iimásu- My name is Soujirou

Arígatoo- thank you

Dóo shite?- why?

-san- Mr. / Miss / Mrs. / Sir

Inóru.......onegai- to pray.......please?

Doomo arígatoo gozaimásu Anji-san- Thank you very much Anji-san

Dóo itashimáshite Soujirou-chan, Dóo itashimáshite- You're very welcome
Soujirou-chan, you're very welcome.

-chan- little, endearment added to the end of a name. Usually for a child,
or for a young woman by a guy that likes her! =P

Dónna ni?- how?

Doomo arígatoo gozaimásu, mata.......- thank you very much, again.......

No tame ni zémbu- for everything

Sayonara- goodbye

-sama- Lord, a term of high respect to someone whose status is above your
own

-dono- Miss, for an unmarried, single woman

Reviewers Responses will be posted in the next chapter. Sorry about that.

A/N: Thank you for reading and having patient with my slow updates. The next chapter is going to need work since I need to figure out what to do with KK original characters.