Would you Kill for Love?

I wonder if she notices…whether the thin hairs on the back of her slender neck stand up on attention at feeling eyes watching her. Then I realise, by now she is used to it, but will now always be unharmed. She has constant protection and so…I keep my distance from her. I long to be with her, but must stay far from her reach.

Right now, six months has past, six long months for her and for me.

*

For her she has had counselling, the love of her father and her friends from school. Not only that she has been in the constant care of the police and of course been on numerous television news programs. A lawsuit against the 'Five Powers of the Dragons' has been completed. Though the two main members of the group were found dead, the trial still went ahead. Misao and the police, especially the evidence brought forward by Captain Hajime Saitou and the intelligence of Megumi Takani brought several other underground groups to justice.

For me, I was more then surprised when I woke up in a bright white room with machines beeping around me. My eyes drifted around the small room to see a nurse arguing with my captain. She was complaining that smoking in the room was an extreme health risk to me and all he did was scoff at her words and wave his hand telling her that if five bullets didn't kill me then smoke wasn't even close.

"So true…" I had croaked out that day, making the nurse jump out of her skin. She immediately brought in the doctors who placed this down to being a pure miracle. Instead while they poked and prodded at me I continued to stare up at the ceiling. I wanted to be where Kaoru-chan was, where mother and father were and yet…they didn't seem to want to take me. Was I meant to stay alive? For what purpose? I had done all I could, the two crime lord bosses of the Five Powers of Dragons were now dead, by my hands, so what else was there to do?

Then I turned my eyes to Saitou to watch him squash his cigarette before he sat in the chair by the bed and crossed one leg over the other. He had pulled out a newspaper clipping and placed it into my hands. In bold lettering it had read:

"COP DIES IN A SHOOTING RAID"

Throughout those six months, while Misao went through the torture of having to relive all the moments she had been through, I went through rehabilitation. I had no contact with anyone. To everyone and all of Japan who had ever watched the news and read the paper, I was now dead. It was strange hearing about people attending my funeral when I was currently doing physiotherapy on getting my legs functioning once more. Yes I had not walked on them for six months, but having four bullets crack and split bones meant they truly needed to heal. Extensive damage had been done to my lung, but the doctors had worked wonders and patched me up. According to Saitou I had been in a coma for a month and only came out of it a day later when my body started to have spasms wanting to breathe on its own and not with the help of the machine. The doctors had thought I was a miracle patient, but Saitou had told them I was just stubborn.

While in five months of therapy I constantly watched the court case unfold, watching as Misao did not crack once under pressure. She was extremely brave and I admire her for not just disappearing like she truly wanted to do in the beginning. Throughout the weeks I watched and read and found that Misao and her father were winning the case each day. New evidence was popping up everywhere as well as Himura turning up in court with Misao's therapy tapes. Not only that some evidence was sent in anonymously and I could tell Sagara had a hand in some things.

*

Which brings me to now as I walked through the automatic doors at the airport. My eyes continued to follow her movements, watching as she headed for the checking in area with a single suitcase and a backpack over her shoulder. She turned then, and I instantly sat down, my face hidden from her eyes, but then her eyes weren't trained on me anyway. She was smiling up at her father and then she hugged him tightly before waving and watching him leave. She turns once more, checking in her luggage and then heading for her gate. I stand up at this, check myself in with a small duffle bag as my only luggage and quietly follow her…from a distance of course. Right now, while being in Tokyo all I could do was look out for her.

For me…this was enough…knowing she was safe from harm was enough for me.

* 24 hours pass *

I've been on the island for a day now…and while I sit at a shaded table wearing a pair of black trousers and a bright printed blue and white shirt, my sunglasses covered eyes follow a young woman dressed in a bikini and a sarong. She would be 17 now; I having remembered her birth date from the folder presented to me and it would have been 3 months into her court case. She had been up at the bar conversing with the barman and laughing lightly at some pick up line he tried on her.

Don't even think about it pal!

I am glad as I watch her wave to him and walk off into the warm sun as she heads down the beach. I drink my cocktail; whatever the hell was in it I'm not sure and didn't care either. It was a distraction to the barman as he eyed me sceptically, as my attention always seemed to be focused on Misao. I noticed he was currently making drinks for a newly wed couple and left without a trace.

My bare feet dug into the warm sand as I walked after the fading figure of Misao. Ocean waves moved up the shoreline, drenching the bottom of my trousers, but my eyes remained on the figure that had now stopped walking and bent down. As I drew closer, Misao was lost in thoughts as she didn't even realise I was but a metre away from her. In fact her fingers were moving over a starfish as she picked it up and moved it back into the water. There she crouched; water drenching her sarong as she just sat there in a daze. Instantly her hands covered her face as I watched crystal tears fall from her eyes.

"Oh Aoshi…" So she still missed me. I am glad for that and quietly moved a little further towards her back.

"Don't cry Misao." She gasped at hearing my deep voice and stood up and turned around to face me. My hand was out instantly and brushed lightly over her cheek.

"I told you…that I would always look after you."

"AOSHI!" She cried loudly and dove into my arms, holding on tight to make sure I wasn't a figment of her imagination. My arms went around her too and it just made her cry harder.

"You died. I went…I went to your funeral!" She choked out loudly into my chest.

"Aa, so I heard."

"But why? Why would Captain Saitou lie to me?" Misao broke from the embrace, teary eyes large and looking at me for answers.

"I was in a coma Misao and needed time to recover. Saitou lied because I am safe if all of Japan thinks I am dead." She dove into my arms once again and pressed her ear to my beating heart, her hands actually moving under my loose shirt to feel my warm skin underneath.

"I cried…I cried so much for you." I sighed lightly at her heart wrenching words and bent my head to place my lips near her ear.

"No more tears now. I'm here to take care of you alright?"

"Iie…" I pulled away and raised an eyebrow at her negative response.

"I'm taking care of you. It's my turn now." I bent down to her short height, watching as she blushed lightly when my lips brushed hers.

"I'll hold you to that." Her arms wrapped around my neck as she hugged me once more and giggled lightly into my ear. Then…the moment of our reuniting was interrupted…and interrupted by a voice I thought I knew.

"HEY MISAO-CHAN, WHO'S THE HOT STUFF YOUR MAKING OUT WITH?"

"Ah! Aoshi…umm…I got a surprise for you." I pulled away from Misao and watched as she pointed towards a hut not too far from the beach and an outline of a figure standing in the doorway. I narrowed my eyes trying to make them out, but my eyes dart back to Misao when she spoke.

"Remember when I said Kaoru-chan and I were saved my Yukishiro? Well I had gotten Kaoru-chan into a lot of trouble and the money I helped take from my own father helped her disappear."

"What?" I darted my eyes between Misao and the figure that moved out of the doorway and started heading for the both of us.

"Kaoru-chan was threatened…and I'm sorry I never told you sooner, but I never knew you were actually ever related because Kaoru-chan said she was an only child. I see now she was trying to protect you from being hurt as well. And well, Aoshi she's not dead at all…and never has been." My wide eyes darted to Misao's smiling ones as she pushed me towards the silent figure still heading towards us. My legs moved on there own accord as I dragged them hurriedly through the sand to get a better look at her. She had gotten so beautiful, a resemblance of our mother indeed. Her hair was long and placed in a high ponytail and she wore a flowing yellow summer dress. Kaoru-chan's favourite colour was yellow after all. I stopped in my tracks just like she did and all I could do was just look her up and down.

"A-ANIKI! OH MY GOD IT IS YOU!" I heard her yell before she raced the rest of the way towards the sand and stood in front of me. Blue eyes glistened with tears and when I watched her blur I knew even I had tears in my eyes. All this time…all this time she had just disappeared to stay alive…to protect herself and me! All this time Misao had been protecting her, unable to voice anything about her whereabouts for fear that the next time she saw Kaoru-chan she'd be dead. At all my thoughts jumbling together, all the times I had tried to find her and came up with nothing I dropped to the sand in a daze.

"Aniki gomen nasai!" My head darted up at her words and noticed tears streaming down her face. At that she dropped to her knees also and dove into my arms. My sister…y sister was alive and well and in my arms!

"I missed you so much! I'm sorry Aoshi-nii. I'm sorry I couldn't tell you anything!" I don't know how long I held her, felt like forever and yet I really didn't want it to end. I had my baby sister back. I had my only family left in the world with me again. Then I realised; deep within my heart I had started to believe that she hadn't died. In the hospital I had worked harder at my rehabilitation and physiotherapy lessons then anything else. I felt I'd been given a second chance. A second chance to try and find Kaoru-chan and a second chance to be with…

Misao…

My head shot over my shoulder to see Misao outlined in the setting sun, her hands clasped at her chest and tears in her eyes, but this time they were tears of joy. While I held Kaoru tightly to my chest my right hand was out and turned to Misao, silently telling her to come to me. And she did. Her slender hand fit perfectly into my larger one and I held onto it tightly while I buried my head into Kaoru's midnight blue hair.

I knew everything would be okay now. I was with the two people I cared most about.

If anyone had asked me whether I'd go through such a situation again without knowing the end results, I'd have to say yes.

In the end I would kill for love. In the end I knew I'd do it all over again.

* * * *

The End (For Real Now)

* * * *

Author's Notes: How about that? Phew, what a nice little ending ne? Well now that that's over, only 11 more stories to complete. @_@; Well hopefully you all enjoyed! And if you actually thought I'd kill Aoshi-sama, shame on you! He's the Bishonen God and can't die! Right Silver-chan? ^__^