"Aoshi-sama! Aoshi-sama!"
Misao pelted through the dojo with all the consideration of a hungry rhinoceros – or, very little, for those fortunate to not be acquainted with the habits of a hungry rhinoceros. She rushed into what had lately become the "conference room" – the dining room, completely ignoring a furious Yahiko she'd knocked over on her way in.
Aoshi had looked up as soon as she stepped in, a fact which made her glow (as she also ignored the facts that a) Aoshi would have looked up for anyone, and b) it's very hard to not notice a girl making all the noise of a herd of stampeding horses). Misao ran right up to him, panting only slightly – but that didn't matter.
"Aoshi-sama! A messenger bird came from Okina," here she passed him the message it had brought, only slightly crumpled, "and there's trouble at the Aoiya!"
Other heads snapped up around the room, if they hadn't already (the room was currently occupied with, discounting Aoshi and Misao herself, Kenshin, Kaoru and Sano – Saitou likely would have been there, but he did have an actual job to be doing, and was probably even now pouring over reports and legalities in the police station), and Kaoru even stood up slightly.
"Trouble? What kind of trouble, Misao-chan?"
Misao looked at Aoshi to see if he was going to answer, but he was reading the message she had given him (for the second time, she figured, since the note really wasn't that long, and Aoshi-sama was a very fast reader), so she decided it wouldn't hurt to tell the others.
"There's a new ninja group in Kyoto – well, they call themselves a ninja group," Misao sniffed derisively, "but they're really just a band of thugs. We were going to just let them be, but they didn't think so. Asimoyu Isaka, the Okashira of this new group, has issued a challenge: 'The Okashira of the Yadebashuu presents his humble request that the Okashira of the Oniwabannshuu would meet him at the eastern abandoned temple in Kyoto for an honorable duel in three days time.'" She scowled after completing the recitation, as if the mere act of saying it left a bad taste in her mouth. "Basically, he wants to fight us, just because we're here! That's so not fair!"
"That does sound bad." Kaoru frowned, but before she could say anything else, Aoshi deliberately cleared his throat, causing Misao's attention to immediately snap back to him.
"It is most inconvenient, Misao," the tall man acknowledged, "but what do you hope for me to do about it?"
To say that Misao's expression was "startled" would be technically correct, though perhaps a bit less accurate than to say that there was a "rather large" amount of stars in the sky. Had Aoshi been anyone other than Aoshi, he probably would have sighed at this point – but, being Aoshi, he merely continued on patiently.
"The challenge is expressly stated as being between two Okashira's, Misao – and I am no longer the Okashira of the Oniwabannshuu."
"R-right!" Misao's expression ran the gauntlet from "surprised" to "chagrined" to "determined" in less time than it took for Sano to disappear at the mention of work. "Of course you aren't! I'm the Okashira! I just – I just wanted to – to – to let you know about it because you'd be the only one that didn't and it's my job to keep my ninjas informed!"
Had Aoshi been anyone other than Aoshi, his lips may have quirked into a momentary, indulging smile at this point – but, being Aoshi, he merely spoke.
"That is good – that is what a wise Okashira would do." He allowed her a moment to bask in the praise before continuing with a question that knocker her expression right back down to "flabbergasted." "When do you leave?"
"W-wha . . ."
"You are the Okashira," he reminded her patiently, "and the one to whom the challenge was issued. You must answer it, and even if you leave soon, it will have already been a day since the challenge was given. You will want at least a day to prepare for the meeting, I should think."
"But . . ." Misao's face would be humorous, in the right setting, but now the expression of total confusion was a bit pitiful. "Aren't . . . you . . ."
"As an Okashira, Misao, you are strong," Misao was into wide-eyed astonishment by now, but this time Aoshi wasn't going to give her an opportunity to react. "My presence at this meeting would have no meaning, and I have already promised my aid to Saitou. You do understand, of course."
"I-I-I . . . yes." The stunned amazement was slowly fading from Misao's eyes, to be replaced with pride and an iron determination. "Yes, I understand, Aoshi-sa-san." She looked up at him, and the conviction in her eyes at that moment was unsurpassed by anything in existence. "I'll get packed now, and go to Kyoto, where I will show Asimoyu that the Oniwabannshuu are still the strongest."
Had Aoshi been anyone other than Aoshi, he may very well have grinned with pride at this point – but, being Aoshi, he merely nodded slowly, with the faintest of curves to his lips, and watched Misao run back out of the room at a speed similar to the one she came in with. Kaoru, with a slight bow to the men left, followed Misao out of the room, and Kenshin, Sano, and Aoshi continued on their discussion of how they might use the information given to them by Saitou to help Katsu.
A few minutes later, when the conversation had lapsed, and Sano began to pace again, Aoshi cleared his throat and looked at Kenshin.
"Battousai . . ."
"You wish for me to go with her, Aoshi, do you not?" The small man smiled a knowing smile, before taking a sip of his tea (which they all had, but which had been made by Kaoru, and so Kenshin was the only one actually drinking his). "You wish someone to go with her to keep her safe, should circumstances develop beyond expectations. Yet, you cannot go yourself after telling her what you just did, that you cannot. She would think that you had no faith in her – and if you had not said what you did, it is probable that she would not have the confidence to meet this man in the battle it is likely to amount to. Besides, you did give your word to Saitou-san that you would help, and you do not like to go back on your word, that you do not."
Aoshi stared at Kenshin for a moment, eyebrows slightly raised, before giving a small hmph.
"Very little escapes you, Battousai." The words would have been almost critical, were it not for the fraction of a smile, quickly hidden, that accompanied them.
Kenshin responded with a bland smile, and murmured – just loudly enough to be heard – into his tea: "I believe that Kaoru-dono will chose to leave with Misao-chan, and, as capable as she is, I do not wish for anything untoward to happen to her, either, that I do not."
Aoshi may or may not have replied, but Sano stopped pacing and started to demand why they weren't thinking of ways to help Katsu, and all three of them went back to work again.
12 CHAPTERS LEFT!!!! w00t!!!!!
Alright. To everyone who is actually still reading this, I would like to say that a) I'm so terribly sorry for the wait, but b) this chapter was totally HELL to write and c) I can explain away my absence, for all except the past umm . . . week or so as "I HAD NO FREAKING COMPUTER OR FILES OF MY OWN! /cries/"
For the answer to the question "So what the hell were you doing the last week or so, then?", I tell you [see statement b)].
Thank you so much everyone who reviewed the two little extra thingies, but I am far too happy to be done with this chapter to reply to reviews left for filler chapters, and would actually rather not even respond to reviews left for the last actual chapter. Hope you understand.
Kuroiyousei: The Realization truly is the best, isn't it?
shizukashin: Don't worry, Katsu and Aoshi will be together. Aaaand you don't have too much longer to wait, because the person who will die will die . . . seven chapters from now. :D
blah: Oh, that's nothing . . . I know someone who isn't dead, but hasn't updated her story in over TWO YEARS NOW, not to name any names but it's Strider! ;)