Authors Notes: I know its not Car Trouble or Himura Designs or High School Crushes, but its been making me crazy thinking about it for over a week now…so I caved and wrote it up. Well let me explain a couple things before you start reading I guess:

Dear lord it's actually in the Meiji Era…well sort of but not quite. Lets just say its in the RK Era (but not the peaceful era) since I want blood, gore and fighting to ensue!

Misao and Aoshi's ages are different (Aoshi being portrayed as 23/24 throughout the story and Misao will be the 18/19 mark) so they aren't that far apart.

Hannya, Beshimi, Hyotokko and Shikijo are still here so they aren't dead…and so Kanryuu and the others (also including Kenshin and Kaoru etc.) don't really exist in this story…well at least not yet I don't think. I haven't totally decided yet.

I'm trying to make it in the RK Universe which is bloody hard I might add, so any pointers on what to remember and have in an RK Universe story will be much appreciated since, well I am more prone to having AU's myself… This'll be tough cause I'm trying to make it a good one…

Misao is NOT an Oniwabanshuu member and she doesn't know any of them either.

I'll try to have Aoshi as cold as possible, but I will break him as time goes by. Actually funnily enough he is already broken, but I'm going to sort of do this story in a weird way with most of it in past tense wise…if that makes sense.

I have Aoshi-sama's ninja uniform like the one in the manga with the long ties…its so much cooler like that!

It might be confusing at first and rather strange the way it will be written, but do be patient and give it some time okay? (^__^)

Well I'm sure that's it, but I'll make sure I fill you in on anything that changes. If you have questions, just ask ne? I'm sure I'll be asking the AMML for hints on what's what in the Meiji Era some time soon too.

One last thing, I don't think the title has anything to do with the story significantly…well at least I don't think it does, but you never know…I could make Aoshi and Misao desire each other…a lot… Never know with Noa eh?

Burning Desire

How ironic it was that a man of 24 years, whom was standing near the frozen branches of a sakura in the garden, could even be capable of feeling any emotions possible to human kind. He was a cold man, not in temperature wise, but in appearance…even colder then the winter of December or so many had commented to themselves. How the iced garden and he matched each other perfectly in coldness. Frozen amongst time, against all the odds and all the obstacles thrown in their pathways. He thought he was invincible to any pain, to any feeling whatsoever, but he was wrong.

For a long time, almost longer then he could honestly remember, he'd been frozen for the sake of his treasured members that he protected. He vowed to be a strong and independent leader - one his members could trust with their lives…and trust they did. Emotions were something that he kept hidden, for he knew they were weak and not worth his time or thought. The surface of his emotions did not crack until something drastic, something the gods hadn't told him would be coming…happened. That is when his first set of emotions had broken through his hardened shell, but he had no idea that his emotional wall would break down by an unknown mysterious being that still plagued his mind even though they weren't around anymore.

When the sun came out, winter gone for the year, the garden - also referred to as Okina's Garden - bloomed with life once more, a hint that new life would be coming to the Aoiya. Of course no one knew of the importance this life would be…not until it was gone. This man, this first rate leader thought he'd never be understood, but again he was wrong to judge himself as he did. He had thought he'd be forever frozen like the garden was in winter, but indeed he was wrong, for something as cold as ice, would soon be melted with time.

When the ice in Okina's Garden had melted one morning, each occupant staying at the Aoiya came out to greet the sun with a smile, but no one was aware of what was about to change their lives. With the warm sun out that morning, it also brought another sun…a sunshine smile to be exact. This smile captured everyone because of its warmth; her laughter and genkiness captured their hearts. It had been no surprise to many that she made her home in the Aoiya after staying for so long. She was not a member of the organization, but neither was she a stranger, just someone special to everyone. She worked like the others, but had been shunned out of private affairs concerning Oniwabanshuu Business, but only because the Okashira, Shinomori Aoshi saw it fit she knew nothing of their ways, not until he trusted her…and that was impossible in more ways then one. It wasn't until one day, one memory, had she received his full trust.

*

Though she was young, this being a ripe age of 18, the young woman was already classed as an old maid by her own standards when the marrying age of 15 and 16 had passed her by. It did not seem to phase her that she wasn't "wife material" and instead she went about her daily affairs in her usual high spirited way helping run the Aoiya, a restaurant front for the secret business of the Oniwabanshuu.

Although she was the youngest person to ever set foot in the Oniwabanshuu, she would prove to be one of the strongest women the Okashira would ever lay his green-grey eyes upon.

Appearances can be deceiving…and deceiving she was, because although she looked frail and small she would in fact be one of the brightest, prettiest, strongest and most open "flowers" that had ever set foot amongst the spy clan. She touched everyone, even members who thought they'd forever be known as outcasts, but she had impacted more so on one 'ice like' man who thought he could be nothing to anyone since he was always known as "Shinomori-sama".

Of course the man knew he was more then a leader to some of his members, they proclaiming that even if he went to hell they'd follow and protect him with their lives. He wasn't just a leader to them; he was their friend and companion, just as he thought the same of them, although he would not voice such things. They were valuable to him…everyone who was apart of his clan was valuable to him, but these particular four meant something more then words could describe if that were possible. He had found them on the outskirts of Kyoto, abandoned and shunned for what they looked like and instead of turning them away, he opened up his arms - so to speak - and brought them home to the Aoiya. He witnessed their skills, saw their worth and made them apart of the Oniwabanshuu family.

*

The first sun that shone in the sky after winter fell had changed everything. Not straight away of course, for no one knew what this woman would do, let alone the fact she hadn't even appeared at the Aoiya yet.

It had been a surprise to everyone, even Hannya who was the Okashira's most trusted spy when they watched their leader came back through the forest carrying something…or someone to be more precise. He'd been sent to a secret meeting, having met the challenge of the letter he received by pigeon and headed for the forest in the early hours of the morning for a duel. He was a man of his honor and would take up any challenge from any clan that knew of his organization. Someone knowing about his organization was in itself a demand on the Okashira's behalf to accept the challenge and make sure word was not spread that the Oniwabanshuu were a clan that existed in Kyoto. The duel had taken merely five minutes, maybe less to defeat the inferior ninja. What had been surprising to him was the echo of soft footsteps stopping at the tree line where he and his 'challenger' were. He had now discovered that someone saw him standing over the now decapitated body, two blades gleaming red with blood. This person had seen him kill another.

Quick thinking saw the then 23-year-old ninja standing behind the woman; she clothed in a dirty kimono and his shorter kodachi blade, still stained with blood, was now pressed against her bare throat. He waited for her to scream bloody murder, waited for any sound, any movements of fear, but there was nothing. No sound and no movement came from her and instead the Okashira eyed her suspiciously and noted with mild surprise as she stood stock still, anticipating the fact she would be dying this sunny day.

Instead he turned the tables on her and smacked his hand down on the base of her neck, making the unidentified woman collapse unconscious to the forest floor with a soft thump. Her kimono had parted at her legs, he finally noticing she was grazed with old cuts and bruises on her arms and legs. Just were did she come from? And just what was she doing all the way out here in the middle of the forest? Those thoughts and others grew in his mind, as he looked down upon her prone form while wiping his blades of blood, the now tainted crisp white papers disappearing in the forest breeze. He resheathed the blades back into the abnormally long sheath he carried with him and then picked up the woman and slung her over his right shoulder. She weighed merely nothing. The Okashira would not, for the life of him, take an innocent life even if she saw him kill another being. He'd certainly get Okon and Omasu to look her over, perhaps clean her up and then once she woke, he himself would interrogate her and offer her some sort of gift, perhaps some money to keep her mouth shut. He'd send an escort with her to wherever she was headed, making sure she knew even if she couldn't see the ninja she'd always be watched. That way she wouldn't be able to tell a soul of what she witnessed.

To think because of his one judgement to bring her back to his home instead of killing her would change the Aoiya so much in so shorter time.

*

An inaudible sigh escaped his lips as it was closing in on nine months that she hadn't been at the Aoiya. How long and quiet the place had been without her. When she left, she took a piece of everyone's heart with her…but most of the Okashira's.

He was now standing bare foot in the training hall at the Aoiya, dressed in his ninja uniform and not his temple robes. For the past few months he had neglected his clan, but finally he saw the light and was back to being their Okashira once more. He had unsheathed his kodachi blades and was staring down at his drawn reflection.

How fast time flew when so much had been happening at once. How strange it had been for keen members that were as close as anyone could ever get to the emotionless man, found him changing, changing because of a woman…something that shocked them, but pleased them to no end as well. They had finally discovered, even after debating for many years that their leader was human after all.

He had been renowned for his impassive ways ever since he was a small child. It was because of this…and many other talents he had gained so quickly and professional during his youth that he was selected as the newest Okashira of the Oniwabanshuu. It was time for new blood…and he was that new blood. He'd been the Okashira for nine years now…nine long years of straightforward impassiveness, of his strict but extremely loyal ways in which he lead the Oniwabanshuu to become one of Japan's most secretive organizations, the best in Kyoto. He was loyal to all he knew…and that was something Okina and the previous Okashira had seen in him. He was determined, level headed and shed no emotions for anything…something that was good when dealing in such a dangerous business.

However, Okina knew, as did the previous Okashira that no one could stay emotionless forever, not even Shinomori Aoshi himself. To think the woman he saved from death - by his own hands - would in time understand his ways…understand that he was not perfect at all, but that was something she could live with…for the rest of her life…

She was…

"Hello, Aoshi-sama…"

In all his life Aoshi could only remember being caught off guard twice before, but now it had occurred a third time. In an instant his kodachi's slipped from his grip and cluttered to the wooden floorboards, he swiftly turning around, the long ties of his ninja uniform moving swiftly with his abruptness as he faced,

"Misao!"

In all her pregnant glory…

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To be continued…

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