A/N: hold on tight, coz your in for a new ride! Enjoy!!!

Disclaimer: don't make me say it again...

.::o::..::o::..::o::..::o::..::o::..::o::.

Chapter 9: saying farewells

After introducing her name to Misao, she was called by her mother from the garden. And before Shin could leave, Misao can't help but tell her this...

"Can you visit me again here Shin?" Misao asked.

"It's kind of lonely being alone here by myself"

She looked like a child as she said it, her face was down and her mouth pouted just like a child persuading her parents to buy her candy. And it was pretty difficult to resist.

"Don't worry sister I will." she said smiling as she left Misao all by herself once again.

Misao was smiling as she looked at Shin leave from behind the wooden door and enter her mother's beautiful garden. Misao liked Shin very much, and at the very moment she had laid her eyes onto the child's sweet face, she felt a warm and loving aura that she can't help but not notice; she was a nice, sweet kid that can smitten anyone with her wonderful sense of humor and kindness. Misao was greatly moved by how she had shown her affection to her, the way she had told the incident that had happened last night and on how much she cared onto what would happen to her. Misao was grateful for it, and she felt happy meeting the little Shin.

"Shin Mori" she whispered, breaking the warm and happy feeling that had started to build up inside her.

The name hit Misao a lot, because it reminded her of Aoshi so much. The name was almost exactly as his, and Misao can't help but notice that she was thinking of him again. She was very much irritated by the fact that a sweet little cheerful girl like Shin could remind her of someone so unlike her. But the truth was that she was missing him, and she longed to see him more than ever. It has been four days that she haven't seen or talk to him and it was pretty hard for her to keep her mind in place, but somehow there were these people that helped her forget and want to move on. She had sworn never to see him or the Oniwabanshu's ever again, and that her feet will no longer step onto the same steps she had fled from. She wanted so much to go back onto where she was long ago, and if she could only forget her love for Aoshi, then maybe it could've been better. But now all se can do is to keep that promise live forever.

"Gomen, but I have to leave you all." She whispered to herself as she fell once again on the white cotton woven bed and cried.

"Aoshi..." Misao whispered from between the sobs.

"This will be the last time I will ever be reminded of you" Misao said rolling her eyes onto the open window where vast crystal blue skies were to be seen, as teardrops started to peek out from her eye lids and down to her soft rosy cheeks.

"Sayonara..."

Meanwhile on the once happy place called Aoiya...

"Misao had been missing for almost four days already" Omasu said looking very worried and panicked by the situations that had been happening these past few days.

"She haven't said a word about her whereabouts and I'm getting real worried about her" Okon said with the same feeling like Omasu similarly has. Although she was a lot more controlling onto her emotions, it was still clear that she was panicking like hell.

"It is her decision, we just have to believe in her" Okina said looking very calm about the situation.

He was the only one who was able to work so well even when Misao was gone. He was so in control of himself, and it was a quality that the other Oniwabanshu's never had.

"But what if she never come back, what if she had decided to leave us all" Shiro said stuttering as he was suddenly panicked stricken by the words he had said.

Shiro thought of Misao as a younger sister and he was very much close to her. He wouldn't want to think of how he would take things such as her leaving them forever, it was too hard for him to take. Misao had been in their group ever since she was small, and she was the first he had ever thought of as a little sister. In a way he cared for her so much.

The Oniwabanshu's had been eagerly waiting for Misao to appear on their front door these past few days. Every time the mail comes, they would gather outside to know if she had sent a letter about where she was and how she was doing. And every time they don't find anything or any word from her the more and more worried they get about her. It was already four days passed before Misao had left, and they still have no clue of what she was planning to do. They were all in a panic, and in a way some of them had gone insane. The Oniwabanshu's became much weaker and they no longer had the strength they used to have before when Misao was beside them, when she was still beside them. They were no longer full, with sparks of happiness and laughter's, no longer the joyous group they were once popular of. Aoiya had fallen onto the deep darkness pit of loneliness.

"Where are you Misao?" Kuro said sadly.

"We have lost Misao, and now Aoshi..." Kuro continued with his voice turning more sad and cold.

.::o::..::o::..::o::..::o::..::o::..::o::.

A/N: well I guess that was the BIG surprise! The good news is that the next chapter will be telling you everything about what had been happening to Aoshi. I guess I hope you loved it. R&R ok... Ciao

To MSN-CHAN... Mad-talk are just fine, I think their great. Thank you very much for all the reviews that you have sent me, it served a great deal of purpose to me and I am very glad that you loved the story just as how much I love writing it. It's hot there? Well so is in here () I am a big fan of SOUMI's fics and I love reading some of the interesting stories about them. hey! Don't we all just wish he were a real man (well I do). I'm very flattered that I have made some of my readers happy, and of course I am very much grateful it did made you happy. Shin Mori, by the way is the sweet little girl that Misao just met she's lives with her sister Akami, who is the owner of a famous restaurant in Kyoto. Don't worry I'll be telling you very soon what job Soujiro get himself into. For now I'll be telling you a very good story about what Aoshi really feels. Well I guess that's it... thanks...ciao