Out in this brave new world you seek
Oh, the valleys and the peaks
I can see you on the top

-Tim McGraw

*`~

"Have you decided to accept our offer? Or will you be here with us for a while longer?"

Kamatari looked up at the police chief. He had pondered over their proposal for a while, since the day they had offered it to him to the day Chô had lied to him about Shishio to the day Misharei barged into the room.

They wanted him to be a spy. Posing as a female exchange student, he would be halfway around the world in America. The government speculated that America would soon be a world power and they felt that this had potential to get bothersome. He could be valuable to them if he got the right sort of information. This did sound intriguing, but there was one little catch…

He refused to leave Misharei behind.

"I only go if my brother goes too." He folded his arms across his chest, referring to the younger man, "There's no one for him here. I'm all he has left."

"We can find a family for him-"

"Iie. He comes with me or I don't go." I would never leave him behind…He means so much to me. My "brother"…Ha! If only they knew…

The chief sighed. "Fine. We'll pay for the boy to go too. But you'll have to support him. I'm not giving him any money. We'll pay for his boat ticket and that is it."

"Hai; arigato." He nodded, his hair bobbing, "I can take care of him. I have been for a long time. And no one gave me money. I worked for it."

"You leave in three days. No 'ifs,' 'ands' or 'buts.' Your brother better be able to handle it. He doesn't look like much. The boat ride may be tough on him and I don't want any complaints."

"He'll be fine." Kamatari grunted, "Misha-kun is a lot tougher than he looks. You let me go fetch him and we could leave today." Anything to get out of this God-awful place.

"Hai; I suppose we could do that. I'll let you go for him unescorted, only because I know you can't get too far on your own. Your knee is still not quite healed. I suppose," The chief sneered, "That's what comes of pining away like that."

A deep frown crossed the former Juppon Gatana member's face. His hand clenched around the sheet on his lap, his fingers curling into a fist. He said nothing, however, simply nodded in agreement, knowing full well there was little else he could do.

*`~

Across Kyoto, Misharei was sitting in the morning sun, his face turned heavenward. He had been holed up at the Shirobeko for the past month; running back and forth between the jail and offering as much assistance as he was able in the rebuilding of the Aoiya.

"Misha-san, you don't need to do any of this." Misao sat down beside him, offering him a rice ball.

"Domo arigato." He accepted the food, smiling dreamily at the ninja, "Genki desu?"

She smiled cheerfully, brushing a loose strand of hair from her face. She had been very happy since Aoshi's return, in spite of the fact that he spent all of his days meditating in the shrine. She took him his tea and was quite content with that. "Genki desu ka." She said, her voice light and airy. "How are you? You've been very busy helping us and you don't even need to."

"Chaa…I'm fine. Every one underestimates me because I am so thin and small. I do wear myself out sometimes, but you do understand why I'm doing this, ne? Kamatari did something very bad. This is not his fault; he could not see for his vision was clouded by his infatuation with that terrible man. Now he is unable to repent for his sins. I will do it for him. I would willingly bear his cross."

"Just Kamatari?" Misao asked slyly. She had noticed the absence of the honorific he so lovingly attached to the cross-dresser's name. This intrigued her. Had it been simply a slip of the tongue? Or was it something more meaningful? She knew Misharei had been several times to visit Kamatari in the prison hospital. What had transpired between them?

"Hai." A slight blush crept across the boy's face. The feel of Kamatari's arms around him; the way his hair had brushed across his cheek as they embraced; it was still fresh in his mind. He never wanted to let those memories go. "He promised me…He would never tell me to go away. He wants me to fix the hole in his heart."

"Ah…Omedetô. I'm happy for you." She crammed half a rice ball in her own mouth, washing it down by scalding hot tea. "Ish he…" She paused, swallowing, "Is he going to accept their offer? Chô told us all about it before you did."

"Iie…I do not know yet. Perhaps it would be good for him to leave." He stared at his feet, his hair falling into his eyes, "But then…I would be lonely. I highly doubt the government would want to send me along."

"Demo…You can't let him leave then!" She leapt up, her cerulean eyes flashing, "America is far away, Misha!"

"Chaa…" His voice came soft and gentle, "If it will help him -if it will make him better- I will not only let him leave, I will encourage it."

"But what about your feelings? You love him. You can't let him leave. Then you'd be sad like I was all those times."

"Ne; if it will help him and make him happy, I will be happy. As long as he is happy, that's what matters."

Misao stared at him. There in the morning sun, he looked positively unreal. Bright beams of sun highlighted the natural auburn highlights of his wind tousled hair and shown off his pale face. His velvet eyes shown brightly with a dreamlike peace; something unattainable by the normal human. "Do you ever get sad? Do you ever cry? I've never seen you with anything but a smile…"

"Hai; I get sad and afraid, just like every other person. But I do not do it in front of other people. I cry when I am alone. Because it doesn't concern any one else and it shouldn't concern any one else. But there is clarity in my life. I changed that day Kamatari found me in the snow. The course of my life was altered when I found happiness."

"Oi, Misao, come on! We've got work to do!" Yahiko appeared on the porch. He glared at Misharei; still slightly suspicious of the young man. He had rather unpleasant memories of Kamatari and Misha's open homosexuality frightened him a little.

"Hai…In a minute, Yahiko." She waved him away, "We're in the middle of something here."

"Why are you always talking to that sicko? Not only is he in love with our enemy, they're both men! There's something wrong with that." The boy frowned deeply, his eyebrows knit together.

"Will you lay off? There is nothing wrong with Misharei. He's a lot nicer than you could ever be!" She looked from one boy to the other. Yahiko had turned out to be quite the little homophobe. He disliked Misha with such a passion. Nobody understood why.

"Chaa…" Misha rose from his seat, sighing deeply. "I see you will never accept me, Yahiko-kun. I do not understand what I have done to make you hate me so, but it hurts me."

"Ohayô!"

"Chaa!" Misharei looked up, turning away from the boy. His eyes lit up and a beautiful smile crossed his face. "Kamatari!"

The ex-Juppon Gatana was limping towards them. Kaoru had broken his knee and it hadn't completely healed, making it somewhat difficult for him to move very quickly. He was wearing the yukata from the prison still and his dark hair fell slightly rumpled around his face.

"Itoshii hito!" The younger man launched himself at his friend, who caught him in a hug. He buried his face in Kamatari's shoulder; clinging to him as if his life depended on it. "I missed you. What are you doing here?"

"Happy to see me?" The cross dresser smiled, hugging his young friend tightly. Misha looked wonderful; he had thrived over the past month spent at the Shirobeko. He had on the usual light colored yukata, his sort hair falling loose and brushing against Kamatari's cheek.

"Hai! I'm glad you're here, Kamatari, but why did they let you out?" He slid to the ground, looking up at his beloved.

"To come and get you." One of his hands rested atop Misha's head, "You've been good, ne? Not causing any trouble?" His hand slid down, running across his cheek, "As if you ever would." He grinned his characteristic smile, knowing this was a joke they had held between them for many years.

"Chaa…I've been terrible without you here to keep me in line." His chocolate eyes sparkled mischievously as he took one of Kamatari's hands in his, "Are you hungry? Come on inside."

"Iie, we need to go." He remained motionless, stopping the boy from going very far.

"Go? Go where?" Misha's eyebrows knit together and his eyes darkened a shade.

"To America."

"Nani? I get to go too?"

"I refused to go unless you could come."

"Chaa! Dai~suki, Itoshii!" His expression grew cheery once more and he wrapped his thin arms back around Kamatari. "Chaa…You make me happy!"

"Harumph."

They both turned to look at the sound of Yahiko's disgruntled sound. He was standing a ways away on the porch, his arms folded, his nose in the air. Misao was glaring at him, ready to beat him up at the slightest nasty comment.

"Chaa…Yahiko-kun doesn't like me much." Misha stood on his tiptoes to whisper this fact to Kamatari, "I believe he finds us both rather disgusting." His smile widened and he pulled his beloved closer to him, "Let's give him something to talk about."

"Ara?" Kamatari's ginger eyes widened, but before he had a chance to question further, Misha grabbed him by the collar and pulled him closer so that their noses were touching. His heart pounded as the teenager's lips met his in a teasing kiss. Misha's hair brushed against his forehead; tickling him and causing him to giggle mid-kiss.

"That is so gross!" Yahiko exclaimed, to which Misao punched him in the arm. "What was that for, Itachi?!"

"You keep your big mouth shut, Brat!" She replied. While she wasn't too keen on the idea of two men being in a romantic relationship, the young ninja found it easy to forget that Kamatari was a man. To her, it was really no different than any other couple kissing.

"What was that for, Misha-kun?" Kamatari broke the kiss, drawing back from his friend slightly. Ahh…That was so nice. I could do it again…

"To get a rise out of Yahiko." The impish grin had not left the young man's face, "Chaa…You can lean on me to walk back. Then you won't have to limp." He reached up, his fingers -softening once more after a month of idleness- running across Kamatari's cheek.

Don't do that…For the love of all that is good; don't do that…I don't think I'll be able to control myself if you do it again. He wanted to tell the boy to stop, but his voice caught in his throat and he merely nodded instead.

Misao watched as the two walked away together, Misharei with one slender arm around Kamatari's waist. A smile crossed her face as Chô the Sword Hunter's words echoed through her mind. "Still, it's better for Kamatari to live. And maybe someday, something good will happen for him."

I do believe, She brushed back her hair as it blew across her face on the breeze, Something good has just happened for him.