"Jiya!" I yelled, dancing from one foot to another outside the bathroom door. "What are you doing brushing your teeth now? We're LATE!"

The old man had the temerity to simply ignore me, and keep on brushing. I glared at him while he rinsed his month, cleaned his brush, then yanked out of the house, grabbing keys and shoes along the way. If we were late, I was the one who would get chewed out on, not Jiya.

In the end, we were only about a half hour late, anyway. The street around my cousins' massive house was utterly blocked off by the mass of cars. We parked at the end, and I grumbled incessantly in Jiya's ear, over the miserable pair of high heels he had made me wear, along with a stupid skirt. Why on earth did he make me wear such inconvenient clothes?

The door was open, so we let ourselves in. Almost at once, I was bowled over by Okon and Omasu's twin pronged hug attack. "You're finally here! Mi-chan! Jiya! How have you been!" They squealed. They were both elaborately dressed in light blue kimono, the obis intricately knotted. I groaned inwardly. Small chance of me escaping without them wrestling me into one before the night was over. I would have to make myself scarce after dinner - that was when they would probably strike.

"Yes, yes," I growled ungraciously. "Here at another one of these boring family gatherings."

They giggled, while I eyed them suspiciously. They were definitely up to something.

"Well, you might be a bit bored, Mi-chan, but at least there's someone fairly close to your age here for once! Hmm...Where'd Ao-chan go, Okon?"

"He's right here Omasu!"

"Whaaaaa.....Where are you dragging me to, you two?" They had suddenly seized both my arms, and despite their looks, they were bloody strong. I didn't attempt to resist. I was carried bodily across the room, then dumped into the far corner. I looked up...

Oh crap.

Meiji Heights
By Aishiteru
Part 6: Misao's Fall

I was so ready to kill Omasu and Okon. My face was so red, I felt like it was on fire.

Sempai, on the other hand, did not look like it was bothering him in the least, all those sly comments they were making. Then, again, he was a guy. Maybe Aoshi-sama was just plain oblivious to it all.

That's not fair! If I had to suffer through all this embarrassment, so should he!

If only he wasn't there, I could bring them into heel by grabbing one into a headlock, or tripping them, or even just getting really really characteristically me mad. However, because Aoshi-sama was there, I couldn't act like I normally could. There was a small chance that I could still trick him - I hoped anyway. He didn't particularly act like he thought I was Masaru, but sempai was tricky. I had caught him watching me fairly closely through the day.

So, here I was, closely resembling a tomato, with Okon and Omasu growing ever more obvious with their hints. They were really really trying to get a rise out of me, but there was no way I was going to give myself away just for their satisfaction. Even though it felt like my entire blood supply was going into my cheeks. Mou! The instant I was out of Aoshi-sama's eyesight, they were so dead.

"Omasu. Okon. That's enough."

I blinked in surprise when my cousins actually shut up. There was a god. There was actually someone in this world who could shut them up!

I prodded my dinner distastefully. The stress of the evening had completely taken my appetite away. Besides, while I took my plate away, I could slip off outside, and no one would be the wiser. I'd just climb up onto the roof like I always did. Even if someone came looking for me, they wouldn't see me up there. I casually pilfered Okon's diskman from her room on my way out. I clipped it onto the waistband of my skirt. At least it would give me something to do up there. I began to hum absently, as I sneaked out.

I climbed nimbly up the drain pipe, and executed a neat flip up onto the roof. It was part of the exercises Hannya-kun had set me on the bars at school. Everyday I had to go through a long tumbling routine with him. True, wearing a skirt while doing it made it rather interesting. I was just glad I had put on a pair of bike shorts underneath. Once I was up, I made my way cautiously to the peak, then stood up on it. The view was the best up here, and I had a long acquaintance with it. It was a good place to hide, except when it was raining.

kuchibiru to kuchibiru, me to me to te to te,
kami-sama wa nanimo kinshi nanka shitenai
aishite'ru aishite'ru aishite'ru

I sang out along, first quietly, then rather loudly. It wasn't as if anyone was around to hear me - the noise inside would completely drown my voice out. The moon was very bright and full, and I kept my eyes on it while twirling around a little in time to the music.

And then I bumped into something. Or rather someone.

I had enough time to see Aoshi-sama's face - looking amused for one moment, then alarmed - as I wind milled my arms frantically. Then, I was falling. I wasn't shy about it. I yelled as I fell - all that awful yawning space opening up beneath me, and the terribly painful landing that was sure to follow. "KYAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!"

And just as abruptly as I had lost my balance, I was jerked out of my fall by a sudden hard grip around my wrist.

I let out a jagged breath, and whimpered. I was still too far away - or too close if you looked at it from another way - from the ground. I shut my eyes. Heights didn't bother me much normally, but this wasn't normal.

"Makimachi-kun. Calm down."

I cautiously peeked up at him. Aoshi-sama seemed remarkably composed for a man hanging off a roof by one hand while hanging onto my dead weight with the other.

"I'm going to need both my hands to pull us up. Can you hang onto my legs if I bend them?"

He curled his legs up, so it was more like he was sitting in midair. I could probably hang on pretty easily. "Y-yeah." I moved, then hung on grimly. We swung in mid-air as he grabbed the lintel of the roof with his other hand. I whimpered pathetically again.

"It's alright," he said calmly. "We're safe. Just climb up over me. It's no harder and much shorter then climbing the rope in school. You made it up to the roof of the gym on your first try, remember? This should be easy for you."

His words reassuring me somewhat, I began to clamber up him. It was better not to think about what I was doing, or just what exactly I was touching, otherwise I would have succumbed to such a fit of blushing, and wouldn't have been able to do it. I reached his shoulders, and he stopped me.

"Alright. The simplest way to get up is if you boost yourself off my shoulders, and do the flip Hannya taught you like when you got up on the roof before. Okay?"

I worried my lip. "But sempai, are you sure you can take my weight?"

"It's fine."

"Okay." My voice was doubtful. "Here I go."

He grunted a little when I pushed down sharply. I was just heartily relieved I had put on my bike shorts, otherwise I would have shown a little too much. I landed neatly, then scrambled hurriedly to the side while Aoshi-sama pulled himself up. I let out a breath I hadn't known I was holding.

Sempai sighed as well, and ran a hand through his hair. I yelped when he cuffed me lightly on the back of the head. "Idiot. You wouldn't be much use tomorrow if you broke your leg today."

I was about to reply, when my mind caught up with my ears. So instead of the snappy comment I was going to make, all that came out was, "W-w-what?"

Very intelligent, Misao.

He simply pinned me with that steady stare. I hung my head while under it, and nervously began to fidget with the sleeve of my shirt.

"I think it's time for some answers, Makimachi-kun."

I laughed nervously. "Ah...It's kind of complicated, sempai..."

"Uncomplicate it." His tone was flat.

"You'll laugh." I buried my head on my arms. "Sorry, I forgot, you don't laugh. You'll think I'm stupid."

"Masa-... Misao." There was no give in his voice, but I think it was more hearing him say my real name that made me give in.

Speaking very fast, I blurted out, "I went to Meiji as a boy because I wanted to join the kenpo club and I thought it would be easier as a boy, because no one would fight me if I were a girl because they would be afraid of hurting me because they're BIG STRONG GUYS hah! and I really just wanted to improve my skills and fight against someone who'd take me seriously, and that's why I was pretending to be a boy, and you're going to kick me off the Oniwabanshuu right, and tell the teachers right?"

I always talk too much when I'm nervous.

There was a mild silence while Aoshi-sama digested my words. I looked at him imploringly, then dropped my gaze.

"...Perhaps I should."

My shoulders slumped.

"But I don't think I will."

My head snapped around so fast my neck should've cracked. "What?"

" You heard me. I'm not going to tell anyone." My stunned expression seemed to amuse him greatly.

I could feel my face widening in a grin of pure delirious happiness. I was so relieved that I could actually feel tears in my eyes. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" We almost fell off the roof again when I flung my arms around him. I recoiled almost straight away when I realized what I had done, and gave him a rather sheepish grin, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. He didn't really seem to be too upset though, just a little startled. I breathed a sigh of relief.

Jumping to my feet again, I did a little cheer before Aoshi-sama grabbed me and pulled me down. "Do you have a death wish Makimachi-kun? I think I had better get you off this roof." He shook his head, but the look on his face was the usual almost expressionless look of patient exasperation he always gave me. My heart soared; sempai was going to treat me exactly the same. I grinned at him again.

"Hey sempai, Hannya was telling me the other day..."

I spent the rest of the night chattering incessantly in Aoshi-sama's ear. We received some immature giggles from Omasu and Okon when we came back in together and I was talking at my normal energetic rate, but thankfully they left us alone. Poor sempai was stuck with me. He bore it well though, answering with an occasional short comment, or his usual, "A~a." That evening had to be the least boring family gathering I had been too. It was almost a shame when it ended.

When Jiya was driving me back to school, he kept asking me why I was grinning so much. But it wasn't until I was about to go into our room when I stopped, and it occurred to me to wonder just why sempai had decided to keep my secret.

Nervous energy coursed through me. I bounced up and down lightly on my toes, throwing a quick flurry of punches at Hannya's hands, according to what he said.

"Up, right, left, down, left, up, down, left, right...good."

I wasn't even breathing hard when we were finished. Hannya smiled at me. "Go finish warming up with some skipping, okay? By then, it should be about time for your match."

I nodded. "Right, sempai."

After picking up a rope, I began to skip rapidly, counting the number of swings I could get underneath for every jump. The rope swirled around me, faster and faster, til it seemed I was ringed with a blur of white light.

"Enough. Makimachi-kun, you're up soon."

I grinned at Aoshi-sama. "Okay!" My first real match, my first real fight. I wouldn't let the Oniwabanshuu down. The excitement was starting to burn away all my nervousness, and the hot rush of adrenalin flooded my body.

"Second match, Makimachi Masaru of Meiji High, versus Hiruma Gohei of Rakinmura High." I recognized Takani Megumi's voice orating outside, and she gave me a discreet wink and thumbs up when I came out. I flashed her a victory sign, but noticed she looked a little worried.

I heard Aoshi-sama draw his breath in swiftly. I turned to look at him puzzledly, then to look at what he was looking at.

The guy I was facing was huge. The arena - laid out of about ten gym mats - looked a lot smaller with him in it. Muscles bulged all over his body, whenever he moved. I watched with a horrified fascination.

How was I supposed to beat that? Joking aside, I only reached about his waist. Even Aoshi-sama was dwarfed by this guy's height.

The guy - Hiruma Gohei was what he had been called - took one look at me and burst out laughing.

That jerk!

I scowled. "What's so funny?" I asked aggressively, pitching my voice as low as it would go. It came out as more of a growl then anything.

That thick-wit simply continued to laugh, hunched over and clutching his massive stomach. I bristled defensively, and decided his face bore a definite resemblance to the gorillas at the zoo, and their hooting closely resembled his laugh.

"I'm supposed to fight that little kid?" he snickered.

My fists clenched, but at the precise moment I was going to leap in and rearrange that gorilla's face, Aoshi-sama placed a hand a my shoulder. He shook his head at me warningly. I ground my teeth in hopeless anger. But all of a sudden...

"GO MASARU-KUN!!! YOU CAN TAKE THAT LUMP OF LARD EASILY!!!"

"Yeah! GO WEASEL!!! BITE HIM!!!!"

My startled gaze flew past Hiruma Gohei, to where the spectators were seated. Kamiya Kaoru and Rooster head had jumped to their feet and were now hollering encouragement to me, while Himura, Katsu, Shiro, Kuro, Yukishiro-san, and Kiyosato were cheering more sedately. I smiled. Even though I only really knew Kamiya-san all that well, (she was in my class) everyone else was really nice. I was touched that they had come to cheer for me, although on closer thought, Kaoru, Kiyosato, and Yukishiro-san were probably still here from the kendo finals, and the rest were probably here for Aoshi-sama. But it was so kind of them to show their support, and it increased my determination to show them all exactly what I could do. The instinctive fear I had felt at facing someone so huge began to recede.

Without saying a word, I passed by my opponent, and stepped lightly into the ring. Once there, I assumed a defensive position - fists up high, knees bent, my entire body loose but ready for action. I narrowed my eyes. "Come."

Looking less certain, but still with that derisive smile on his lips, Gohei looked to the judges table, where Takani Megumi, and three other people I didn't know were seated. Students from the other three schools competing I presumed. Also seated there was Saitou-sensei, and a stout balding man with a rather genial air about him. I groaned inwardly. Just my luck, to have Saitou-sensei umpiring me. The teachers would be there to call foul play, and the judges would decide.

"Kihei-sensei?" Gohei asked. "Surely...they can't mean me to fight this little shrimp? He'd be massacred!"

The teacher from the other school looked at Saitou-sensei questioningly. He in turn, casually blew out a ring of smoke from his cigarette, (despite the fact that this was a none-smoking area) then, as if reading my mind, stubbed it out. "Shinomori. What do you think?"

I shot Aoshi-sama a fierce glare, one that promised certain death if he forbade me to fight.

Sempai looked at me implacably. "Makimachi-kun. If I think you're in danger of being badly hurt, I'm pulling you out, no objections. Agreed?"

I nodded emphatically. "I won't let you down."

I think I saw Aoshi-sama smile then. But Megumi had blown the whistle, and I blurred into action. I was going to have to be quick and steady to win this one. With me being so little, Gohei was astonished at my early aggression. I landed a quick flurry of punches, and jumped up for a lightning quick spin kick before dodging out of the way.

I saw his fist coming at me - but all of a sudden it was like my muscles had turned to mud. I simply couldn't move out of the way quick enough. The full impact of his punch didn't hit me, but what grazed my face sent me spinning to the floor. My face exploded in pain, and I landed in a heap. The Rakinmura side was cheering wildly, and I could hear boos coming from ours. I sprang back up to feet, my cheek beginning to throb.

The gorilla grinned viciously at me. "Coming back for more, eh?" he jeered, spraying spittle over the ring.

I sneered back at him. "Your breath stinks."

With that we were back on. He had me on the defensive, and my arms were starting to ache from the effort of blocking his blows. I was steadily getting pushed to the boundaries of the ring. Any further, and he was going to push me right out!

He was open! I boosted off the ground, leading with my right fist in a powerful uppercut with all my weight behind it. Gohei staggered, and then exquisite pain ballooned out from where he had kneed me in the stomach. I was sent sprawling again, and only just managed to halt myself before rolling out of the ring.

"Makimachi-kun!"

Sempai's voice cut through all the yelling. The gym went dead silent. Gohei stepped away from me, smirking.

"Sempai, no!" I yelled. I tried to spring to my feet, but ended up more staggering to them, clutching my stomach. "I can do it! I'm not badly hurt!" I begged him silently not to pull me out. Hannya had hurried across from where he and Shikijo were warming up for their matches. He began to talk rapidly and quietly to Aoshi-sama. I was saved! Good old Hannya.

Finally, Aoshi-sama nodded reluctantly. "Masaru. If you get hit that badly two more times, then I'm pulling you out."

My lips thinned, but I jerked my head in assent. He just had to put the pressure up on me, didn't he?

It was time to really think. He was quick, surprisingly so for a guy his size, but I was quicker. The thing that was cutting down my speed advantage on him was all the time I had to spend jumping up and down. Maybe I should go for his legs...I took one look at those tree trunk like things, and dismissed the idea. But I sure didn't have the power to knock him out of the ring. That left driving him out, or tricking him.

Tricking him.

Hmm. He seemed more like a arm man to me. Most of his defense, and all of his offence was arms, almost like a boxer. Well, he was big enough to be one. I feinted, and even though I had aimed for lower down, sure enough, the fists came out in retaliation. It was a kind of sound idea - not using his legs meant he would never be off balance if he moved his feet well. But using arms almost only had to leave some kind of loophole.

I had to move faster!

What did Hannya-kun tell me about speed?

Everything moves to it's own beat. Look at someone when they walk, or when they run, or fight. It's all to a certain tempo.

Trust Hannya to come up with something connected to music. In addition to kenpo, he was the lead violinist in orchestra. He also played the piano, and the saxophone.

Find your opponents tempo. Then make yours faster then his.

Great idea...If I could sustain that sort of speed.

I needed a song...Something I could move to! Something that would let me simply dance out of the gorilla's way.

aishite'ru aishite'ru aishite'ru

My eyes widened, and I surged back into the fight. Wild cheers emerged from our stands, as I quit simply being defensive. Hannya had been right. It was so much easier simply to swing and move out of the way now that I had something to move to. I led Gohei out in a slowly expanding spiral, myself nearly always on the inside of it. We were nearing the edge of the mats now; it would only take a little more. I swung, dodged, flipped, sang. It was suddenly easy - It was fun!

I don't think it was particularly fun for Gohei though. For each of his massive swings with the potential to push me out permanently that missed, he grew angrier. His face was growing alarmingly red, and his breath was coming hard. He was slowing down, and his punches, once crisp, were becoming extremely sloppy. I decided to take a chance - with all this moving around, I was starting to feel my breath come faster and harder, rasping in my chest, and tearing at my throat.

His fist came again. I let it just swing by, the wind of it's passage blowing my hair into disarray. I grabbed his wrist and pulled.

He fell out of the ring like a pile of bricks.

I stood stock still for a moment, then abruptly sat down.

"Ow!" I yelped. I glared grumpily at Aoshi-sama. "I think you're enjoying this, sempai."

A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose, but he didn't deign to comment. Or to deny it. He simply continued to examine my face. It was starting to come up with a lovely bruise.

"If you simply agreed to see the nurse, or Genzai-sensei, this wouldn't be necessary." If that had come from anyone else, I would have said they were taking a really sadistic pleasure with telling me this every time I complained. But this was Aoshi-sama.

"But if I go to them, they'll want to look at my ribs, and my ribs are kind of close to other things," I retorted for what seemed the hundredth time. As soon as my match was over, Aoshi-sama had simply spirited me away from the gym and everyone's exuberant congratulations, and proceeded to nag me about seeking medical treatment in the relative quiet of our room. When I refused repeatedly, he glared at me, and then grabbed my face, and started looking at my cheek. Any resistance on my part ended with him swatting my hands almost absently away.

He took in a deep breath. "Those two hits he got in were nasty, as were the ones you blocked. Your arms are going to black and blue. You were badly mismatched, Makimachi-kun."

"But I won!" I grinned.

He looked very tired when I said that. "Winning isn't everything."

I scowled at him. "Are you trying to make me feel bad or something?"

"I'm sorry. You did well."

"But....?"

He sighed, and took his hands away from my face. "The swelling should go down by tonight."

"Sempai." I folded my arms, and imitated his dead pan stare as best as I could.

He raked a hand through his hair. "I...was worried. When you were out there, getting hurt."

"Because I'm a girl?"

Sempai shot me a look. "Partly. But also because...you're new to my team. I worried like this when Shiro and Kuro joined last year too."

I smothered my snickers. Aoshi-sama....like a mother hen over her- er, his chicks...

"Anyway, raise your arms."

I raised them obediently. He prodded my ribs delicately. "Any pain?"

I managed to speak through giggles. "N-no...But that really tickles! Stop it!" I slapped his hands away lightly.

"You seem to be alright. Amazingly enough."

I stuck my nose up in the air. "You dare doubt my wondrous talents? Unforgivable!"

He ignored my comments pointedly. We sat in silence for a while.

"Hey...sempai?"

"Hm?"

I fidgeted. "Just why...did you decide to keep my secret?"

He gave me one of his rare half smiles - although I was starting to see them more often for some reason. "Because...Misao. You're a fighter. And I think you deserve to be able to fight."

It took a while for me to process what he was saying - especially since he was looking at me with that gentle smile on his face. But when it did hit me, I could feel my face light up, and I simply grinned happily. Sempai thought...that I...

He cleared his throat gruffly, and looked away. "Anyway, I'm going back to see the other's matches now."

"And I'm going to see yours!" I piped up brightly.

He rolled his eyes at me while holding the door open so we could exit.

Authot's Note: My god, Misao just WON'T SHUT UP!!!! I'll have to write another chapter really soon about her, detailing what happens to her for the rest of this (Sun)day. *snickers* It should be entertaining, and there WILL indeed be a shower scene! MWAHAHAHAHA!!!! Excuse me. But, I really have to get to what happened to poor Kenshin on Saturday. It'll probably be written from Kaoru's POV though - I haven't done her yet! Then it'll be Misao AGAIN - hope you don't get sick of her guys. And then it'll be dear old Ken-san back again. This is going to be a very eventful weekend for the Kenshingumi, so watch out! Ah, the song Misao was singing, in case you didn't recognize it, was "One Half". I think it's the second opening for Kenshin? Or maybe the third. Sorry if the fight scene sucked, I usually don't write them. Did Aoshi's conversion to helping her seem a little sudden? Sorry! And thanks for all your kind reviews again! They really help when you tell me what I'm doing wrong (and what I'm doing right). ^_^

Review Replies:

Emerald: Yeah, my relatives are EXTREMELY painful to be around. Aoshi and Misao haven't really 'handled' their situation - they should in the next Misao chapter. And that's all I'm saying.

DiaBlo: Is he? I didn't mean to make him dumb - he does realize, but he just doesn't really want to. Sorry!

JML: Phew. And thanks for the tip about Omasu and Okon - I always get them mixed up. Shiro and Kuro too.

Fabi-chan: Thank you! Hehehe, really? Me too.

lebleuphenix : MWAHAHAHA!!!! Well, enough ficcy authors have left me with a cliffhanger, and I know how much it makes me want to read on. Hope it wasn't too frustrating, and I tried to get this chapter out fairly quick. And of course Aoshi-sama would be observant - he IS an omnitsu, ne? Aoshi-sama is just wonderful *smiles amidst rosy coloured clouds and sparkles* Ahem. Alright, I wasn't nasty, I had this chapter be straight A/M again. There. Heheheh.

selene: Oooh, I could just see those fox ears pop up with that laugh. Well, so far they're going to just keep on going...but who knows what'll happen? Well besides me, and even that isn't certain. Yeah, I'm sure Aoshi-sama is sure to see just how cute Misao can be soon....hehehehe.

Gochan: *faints* YAAAAH!!!! Oh, let me take this opportunity to say that I really LOVE Rurouni's Guide. It's even on my favourites. *nods* Even though I don't review every chapter...*sweatdrops* I think I shall start reviewing every chapter now, because it's really nice when people do it to me. Cool - I was wondering if anyone would pick up on the parallel between Kaoru and Tomoe with their brothers. Plus, I've got more fun with Enishi and Yahiko coming up. Hehehe. So you like the first person POV? I was worried it would annoy people after a while - and also I'm a lot more used to writing third person. So thank you! (And thanks for the nice long review!)

~_~ gucci gal : Thank you! I love Aoshi x Misao stuff as well, so it's quite enjoyable to write. I love Hanakimi too, although it was writing this fic when someone introduced me to it. Have you read a manga called Power! and W-Juliet, and Tokyo Crazy Paradise and Full Moon wo Sagoshite and Good Morning Call and Parfait Tic? They're all shoujo manga I'm quite fond of reading along with Hanakimi, although only the first three are about girls / guys having to cross dress for good reliable reasons of course.

Dark Fairy and Aurora: Ah thank you! Yes, calm down please Aurora, I updated, I updated!

Storm bringer: Arigato! Oh, by any chance, did you get your name from Michael Moorcock's Elric of Melnibone series? I really like Elric and his sword, Storm bringer. But if not, I'll just shut up now.

Noa: Eheheh...You and DiaBlo seem to agree with one another. Um...I didn't mean to make him stupid, it's just that he doesn't really want to believe it's Masaru. Plus, the lighting is a lot different, Misao was constantly looking down, and she had her hair in her face. Anyway, I'm just making excuses.

Neko-chan: Thank you!

dynast: hehehe! Oh, btw, could you actually download anything from that site? By the time I tried to get Chap. 21, it couldn't download anymore, the bandwidth had been exceeded. Oh, I downloaded MSN!!!! I added you to my other e-mail list; could you add me to your contacts?

Carlin: Hehe, that makes me very happy too. I'm glad one of my stories makes people happy - the others are pretty angsty.

blue-eyes: Thanks for reviewing again!

Kmye-chan: AWWWWW, poor Aoshi-sama. The deal is still on!

jaded: Yes sir/ma'am! All updated!

tigerlilly: Thank you very much! Yup, Aoshi did end up confronting her.

saicho-18: Heheheheh. Really? Brilliant you say? *head puffs and is promptly popped* Ah, thank you!!!!

Fallen Virtue: I think I may have read some of them. Please warn me if I start straying off the path into the realms of bad fanfction.

nekonomiko: Well, not really a cross over. It just kind of holds some elements of shoujo manga, so yeah....But I really do love Hanakimi.

Thanks for all the reviews, people!