Authors Notes: Yahoo, it's all coming to me now! Well Minna-san, this is the next story, which I must admit will not be extremely long, perhaps 3 or 4 chapters thank the Kami-sama's. Anywho its just a bit of OOC Misao and Aoshi and is an AU (of course) and well, I hope someone likes…and yes the rating will be going UP later on.

Memories on the Road

"Ne, Misao-chan, can you help me with these?" Came a soft voice from a blue eyed young man. A short girl with long black hair darted around some tables, easels and stools to head for the friend she had made in an instant when she had moved to Tokyo.

"Mou Sou-chan, I told you I should have gone to get your props with you. Not like we'd be breaking rules or anything, its co-ed…and we live in the same dorm room" She reprimanded the lightly laughing guy as she took a box from him before placing it on the table they'd been assigned. They were going to use the objects he'd brought from the dorm room to create some 'still life' drawings…or so they hoped. Misao wasn't the greatest at drawing and preferred doing her multimedia on the computers, but she stuck it out and was getting help from her dear friend Seta Soujiro.

"Sano-kun said the exact same thing to me as well. You think alike."

"Ack! Sou-chan, don't put me on the same level as that Rooster!" Soujiro laughed lightly once more as he began to set up the props.

"Makimachi, Seta, get back to work!"

"Hai, hai…" Misao grumbled lightly as she sat at her stool, pencil in hand ready for some blasted drawing time.

# Elsewhere on Campus #

"Excuse me; I'm trying to search for a Makimachi Misao. Do you know which class she would be having right now?"

"May I ask what brings you here?" The woman questioned while looking the tall man up and down. He was dressed in a black suit, crisp white shirt, black tie and shoes. He had long bands falling over his black sunglasses as he hadn't bothered to take them off.

"I've been trying to contact her for two days now. It's in regards to her family."

"What about her family?"

"It means family business and family matters do not concern you. Are you going to tell me which subject she is in right now or shall I contact your superior?" The woman's eyes widened at the man's behaviour before she typed in Misao's name on a computer system to bring up her subject criteria.

"She's in her drawing class at the moment."

"Where exactly is that?"

"Head outside and you'll see an art department to the right of the main building. It's Studio Room 2, on the left as you walk inside." With those directions in mind the mysterious man left without a word as he headed outside.

# Back in the Art Studio #

"I hate you Sou-chan! Why the hell did you bring so much crap?" Misao yelled in exasperation while trying to choke the living daylights out of her friend.

"Maa, Misao-chan, let go…" Soujiro tried fending off the short girl with quite the temper, but they were both interrupted by a knock on the door.

"Makimachi, get back to work and don't kill your partner." Blushing lightly as the class irrupted into laughter Misao fumed while going back to drawing the tare panda alarm clock Soujiro had brought, which was hers in the end anyway.

"You're lucky I like you Sou-chan, or else I'd fla-"

"Makimachi, you have a visitor." Darting Ocean blue eyes away from Soujiro, Misao's eyes wondered to the doorway to see a tall man standing there in a suit.

"Misao-chan, what's with the guy?"

"How the hell am I supposed to know? I've never seen him before!" Misao whispered back as she placed down her pencil before weaving through the students who had lost interest in their work and were now looking between herself and this stranger. Heading cautiously out of the studio Misao closed the door and turned to face the 6-foot tall man.

"You've certainly grown up." Tilting her head slightly, Misao hadn't the faintest idea what this guy was on about.

"Quite the tomboy though."

"Excuse me?" Misao remarked with narrowed eyes. She was dressed in jeans, sneakers and a checkered long sleeved shirt (sleeves rolled up to her elbows) with numerous paint smudges all over it. It was her "art" outfit.

"Its not surprising you wouldn't remember me after all this time." The man remarked once more before lifting the glasses away from his eyes and placed them on top of his head. Some of the strands of his long bangs were caught in them as he showed glimpses of his piercing green eyes.

"My name is Shinomori Aoshi. Do you remember me now?" With that spoken it didn't take long for the temperature in the hallway to plummet as Misao recognized that name instantly.

"What do you want?" Came the icy reply from the usually genki girl. Aoshi raised his eyebrow at her attitude but knew this was expected from the telephone call he had received days ago. He had been warned that "his" little Misao would not be friendly towards him at all.

"Okon-san has been trying to reach you for the past week. Instead she contacted me to get in touch with you here."

"Why? If they couldn't get me you were only meant to be contacted if…" Misao cut herself short before she lunged forward and clutched at Aoshi's forearms.

"Jiya! Has something happened to him?"

"He is ill." Misao gasped as she quickly broke away from Aoshi, her large ocean blue eyes gazing up into his orbs as though asking it weren't true.

"I've come to take you home." Misao bent her head at that, teeth chewing on her bottom lip as she sort through her mind as to what she could do to get home.

"All planes to Kyoto are booked solid as is the train. There are festivals going on and it's quite a popular destination to be." Aoshi remarked quietly knowing that Misao was thinking of other means to get to Kyoto without having his help…and without being in his vicinity.

"I'll just…"

"Okina wouldn't allow you to drive either Misao and furthermore you don't have a car." Frowning at how well he knew her mind worked even after so long Misao moved even further away from the man she had once known as a teenager.

"We are wasting valuable time Misao. Let's go." Moving his arm forward, Aoshi grabbed Misao's hand only to watch her jerk free from his light hold, glassy eyes locking with his.

"Don't touch me…ever…" Standing silently in front of her Aoshi felt something twitch within him. He paid no attention to it and watched Misao head back inside the Studio before reappearing with her satchel bag slung over her shoulder.

"You should pack a bag Misao. I'll be driving us back to Kyoto." Not even nodding her head, Misao silently walked towards the dorms heading for the second floor as she did so. She couldn't even hear Aoshi's footsteps behind her, but knew he was there.

Her mind began to turn over and over with hundreds of thoughts. This was the first time she'd seen Aoshi in 11 years. 11 years of no contact and now all of a sudden here he was proclaiming that he was taking her back to Kyoto. Misao balled a fist praying that Jiya was on his death bed (even if it seemed a little harsh) since she had to be in the presence of the teenager that broke her.

Having him right here, just a metre behind her was like a slap in the face of all the happy memories she cherished within her, but never brought forward form the recesses of her heart. Now that he was here it also brought at the sad memories she'd been trying to lock away. Misao didn't want any pain anymore. She was happy with what she was doing now…and had never thought she'd ever see Aoshi again, even if they were in the same city. It was a big city after all.

Now though, he was right here and she'd be stuck on the road with him for the long drive back to Kyoto. How long would it be? A day…two at the maximum and yet she was dreading it already. Just what the hell was she supposed to do and even say now?

To Be Continued…