5. The Figure behind the Glass

 The wind chimes had pealed like the smallest of church bells, signaling the arrival of a cheerful young woman into the household. "Jiya!" came the all too familiar call as she ran through the rooms with the most vibrant of footsteps. Behind her, the two, slightly older women smiled to each other, allowing themselves to enter the house on their own. They all knew that Misao was anxious to get home, and there was really no need to question why. For indeed, it had always been a well-known fact that her love for Aoshi Shinomori would never waver, much less dampen within the span of a few days away from him. Outside the weather consisted of a beautiful, cloudless blue sky and the brightest morning sun that seemed to have shone in a decade.

"Misao-chan!"  Kuro had given his greeting as he had raised the newly washed set of plates in his hands to avoid colliding with the girl. "What a pleasant surprise! Gods, you told me that you guys were staying in Edo for a week!"

"Silly! It has been a week." Came her matter-of-factly reply. "Anyway, where's Jiya?"

The question had made him smiled, seeing the gleam of hope in Misao's eyes and the real reason behind the inquiry. "Okina's gone for a stroll again…" He said, rolling his eyes, "Gods know how long he'll be this time. Have you had lunch yet? Shiro and I will be doing the cooking again… As always."

Misao hid her pout quite well, when she assessed the situation in her mind. "That's ok. I'll just go to the temple. Aoshi-sama should be there by now, what time did he leave? Before dawn I bet!" She turned around and made a beeline for her umbrella, picking it up with a toothy grin. When she turned around to face Kuro once more, however, her smile slowly disappeared…

"Well, uh, Misao-chan…" She watched as his stance shifted uneasily, the plates in his hands wobbling ever so slightly as he moved. "Aoshi-san is… Well, he kinda left two days ago…"

"What?" This time the show of displeasure that she had so easily concealed earlier became visible, her gaze questioning and her jaw dropping slightly. Left?! Aoshi-sama LEFT?!?! "Well… Where'd he go?"

"E… Edo, I think." The plates gave another soft clink as Kuro shifted uneasily, "He said something about having to meet someone…"

"Oh… Ok…" She stood up quietly and blinked, the umbrella rolling and coming to a stop at her feet. Meanwhile Kuro had turned around to bring the dishes to the kitchen.

"Misao-chan? Misao-chan?" Ochika called out repeatedly, "Misao-chan, what's wrong?"

Misao blinked once more, her mind extremely incredulous. Why would Aoshi-sama be in Edo?

---

The morning train to Edo had only been half full when they boarded, a number of passengers being tourists that had decided that coming home early would be best in order to beat the heat.

He and his companion had taken a seat at the very back of the train, an area where only three passengers sat. One was an old man who was reading the newspaper while the other two were a mother and her sleeping male toddler, who shifted in his sleep each time the train tracks gave the locomotive a rough nudging.

Glancing at the young lady in front of him, he leaned back in his seat and turned to look out the window. He still felt uncomfortable around her. It was as if the marriage meeting between them had just started all over again, only this time, they had this gaping hole of history that somehow demanded it's self to be filled. She has said nothing, concerning their predicament, not during that first awkward evening of their reencounter. Instead she had motioned for him to sit down and poured the tea herself, setting the cups on the low table before coming to sit down beside him.

He shut his eyes and sighed, pushing the rest of it out of his mind. She didn't have to stay. He would not... No, could not obligate her to. She could always go back. She had done it once, anyway.

"Shinomori-kun,"

How it could be so easy for someone to drag him out of the reverie bothered him sometimes. Still she had used the same name that she had always called him with and the same tone of voice as well. "Yes?" He had replied casually, his calm though somewhat brusque façade doing very well to hide the number of questions that his mind had been throwing at him.

She smiled faintly, the look in her eyes seeming distant as her gaze fell upon the rural lands that they passed through. "It's my first time riding on a train."

The statement had made him sigh inwardly with relief, somewhat thankful that she still withheld the questions that he had once interrogated himself with. Instead, she had reminded him of their old talks, the ones that had at first been rather unsmooth and somewhat compulsory. "Same here." He finally answered, making her nod and glance up at him.

---

"The tea's a bit bitter." He had pointed out the night before, after a long bout of silence had passed between them. Pouring herself a cup, she had simply nodded, taking a small sip as she agreed. After all, how many people could escape death only to be faced by something more enigmatically frightening?

When he at last raised his gaze to face her, she blinked in surprise. "Yes?"

He was always so inquisitive yet… Cold… Eyes like chips off ice from the highest mountain streams, never wavering, never faltering. It sent a chill down her spine. Something that reminded her about the coldness in the river. The swirling darkness that overcame her. "Shinomori… kun?"

She had somehow prompted his mind to ask what had happened, but he at once thought better of it. It was not his nature to be interfering, and he knew, that in the form of lifestyle that they shared, clan wars were not something uncommon. It also wasn't of much help that the Meiji government thought very little of the old Alliances and their inner factions. "Your father…" He finally said, for lack of anything better.

"Dead." She replied, "Five years as of last summer. He died shortly after the war."

He cleared his throat with a cough, not entirely certain of what next to say. "I apologize if-"

"It's alright. It was for the best, I think. His only regret was not to die in battle."

"And Kaita?" Only when the inquiry came out of his mouth did his mind lament on it ever leaving.

She took a long sip of tea before replying once more. "Dead…" She whispered. There was a surprising calmness to her voice as she spoke, as if she had already seen what was going to happen long ago and merely waited for it to come. "He died by the weaponry of the Gaijin… As did a brave number of my men. I am the last left of my Clan, so the Meiji Restoration has made sure of."

"Moriya…" His eyes had widened slightly, but he drew his breath and sighed, "I-"

"Shinomori-kun, I'm tired."

"I understand." He had said, with much simplicity, "I'll see you in the morning."

Picking up her cup, she looked at him with a questioning gaze. "And you?"

"I have to pack. I'll be leaving for Edo."

 "Oh… I see." Tugging at the fabric of her robes once more, she placed her cup by the sink had nodded. "Will you need me to vacate the premises soon after?"

"Yes."

She gulped uncomfortably and nodded, accepting the truth of the matter. "I see. Goodnight, Shinomori-kun."

"Moriya, see if you may find something more fit to your figure in the closet down the hall." Aoshi's voice rang after her, "I intend to have you ready by sunrise."

"So… Soon?" Looking into his eyes she suddenly seemed faint. Of course, she didn't have to expect more. He had been kind enough to save her. That was surely enough.

Pouring himself another cup of tea, he sighed, his gaze never leaving her. "I plan to be at the train station early, hopefully you don't mind coming with me."

The shock on her face slowly melted into a smile as she accepted the proposition with a nod.

Only when she had closed the door behind her did Aoshi allow himself to finish his tea.

---

"We're here." He seemed to be talking to himself more than to her as his fingers silently traced over the hilt of his blade. Stepping down onto the ramp, he looked at her in her dark red kimono and motioned for her to follow.

"Wait!"

Turning around once more, he watched as she reached up and straightened his collar, smirking to herself as she did so. "Much better." She said smiling, "Shinomori-kun, we can go now."

Glancing upward he walked on, listening as her faint footsteps trailed behind him.

---

It was a little before nine o'clock when the former Mibu Wolf of the Shinsengumi, Hajime Saitou finally caught sight of the Oniwabanshu O-kashira. Aoshi Shinomori was a calm man whom had allowed his life to drift into quietude, one that merely mirrored his connections and occupation prior to his current lifestyle. Also, his affiliations were mostly classified to friends and acquaintances, never those concerning matters of the heart. This was why it came as a surprise to him when, going down the train that morning, he caught sight of a woman that he had never seen before. A woman that arrived right by Shinomori's side.

---

Author's Notes: Edited. Ladies and gentlemen, we will now play spot the typo. If you feel that I've misspelled or need corrections in canon then don't hesitate to mail. Yes, yes. This actually has a plot. Once again, thank you to Liss, Scarlet, Aaron, and everyone else who took time to review. The next chapter will be a turning point, I assure you. Feedback is welcome. Good day. ^_^