A/N: just R & R ok thanks and enjoy!

Disclaimer: nope

Chapter 11: Emptiness

"She's running away!" Aoshi wavered as he thought of it.

Aoshi just stood there in the corner thinking...

A/N: try playing the 1000 words piano or Yunas Ballad on your head as you read this whole part of the story...

"What am I suppose to do now? Are my feelings really that big of a matter to me? Am I really in love with Misao or is it just infatuation? Does it really matter?"

Aoshi's head was suddenly flooding with thoughts that had only made it difficult for him. Now he felt much more confused that he was before. Aoshi was shaking and he can feel his head burst and explode by all these questions that had suddenly overflowed on his mind. Voices kept on ringing on his head. Everything in his head was so confused and in such rambles that he didn't notice Misao pass by his way. Aoshi looked at her as she left...

"But what is this urge I have in me to follow her? Why do I feel this pain in my heart? Its almost like as if someone had died."

Then all of a sudden all the thoughts that had flooded his mind had suddenly disappeared and the only thing that was on his mind was Misao. Pictures of her flashed upon his eyes, as if he was pulled back on those times they had both spent together. He suddenly felt like his heart was stabbed and his lungs bolted tight. Then a river of tears slowly flowed down his eyes and trickled down to his cheeks.

"I do love Misao! And I'm not going to loose her this time!"

He quickly turned to the foggy dark path Misao had left and disappeared. Then he started to run onto the same direction and disappeared onto the white misty fog like Misao had.

He ran as quickly as his feet can get him and then from the distance he can see her, he can see Misao. It was a bit blurry though because of the fog and the rain, but he didn't think of it the only thing that was on his mind was Misao and he was relieved to have found her. Now that he had found her, the only thing he has to do is to overtake her and stop her from leaving Aoiya, leaving him.

He gasped for breath as he drew nearer and nearer to where Misao was. But as he was running with his eyes constantly staring at Misao, he was unable to see that beneath the dark path was a rock blocking his way. Unaware of this, he then stumbled down and his whole body landed right on the ground. He quickly stood up completely forgetting his ankle throbbing in pain and then he quickly turned back onto where he had left off.

But as he turned to look at the distance, there was only the fog, rain and the trees that he had seen. There was no sign of Misao. He quickly run toward where he had last seen her and started shouting her name. But it didn't help him a bit.

Tears was seen once again in his eyes as he kept running o different directions shouting her name and turning to directions. But it was no use, he lost her and he was to be blamed.

This is the price of everything that I had done to her. This is the price I have to accept for my own stupidity. I am a man who had been lying all along to myself, and now I have to accept the fact that I had lost her. I had doubted her and had only caused pain to myself. Why is it so difficult for me to just be honest to myself and to have not hurt her so much? I am so stupid!

These were his words as he stood there in the middle of the cold distant rain with tears flowing down his eyes. He didn't care about the pain in his ankles or the cold chilling wind that had send him shaking in the middle of the misty fog. All that was in his mind is that he had given up on love and that he had hurt Misao so many times.

"I do love you Misao!" he shouted falling on his knees.

"If only you can hear me now and see me in this river of tears!"

"I don't want to loose you" he bent lower crying in the middle of the forest as his cries echoed through the wind.

Return to present...

Aoshi was in tears as he remembered everything that had happened that night. It was the last time he had seen her and up until now it was still so clear to him. Every memory of her was still so fresh, as if it was only yesterday.

This emptiness in me was my own doing. And I admit it all, if only I could have you back and tell you these. If only I could see you again and tell you how much I love you. It was only at that moment that I have realized that you were what kept me going, and now I am like a dead man whenever I walk down the familiar paths we have both walked on. I just hope that you're in good hands and that you're happy where ever you are...

A/N: well I guess that would be the end of Aoshi's drama. So I hope that it really did touch you, cause it did touched me ... so R&R please (sniff) and hope that you'll be sticking around for the next chapter.

To KRN-CHAN: well then I am grateful that you liked my story and that you are trying real hard to read it even when your not good in english. Well I guess im just real excited in updating and a bit scared that I might loose my readers that I try to upload as early as possible making it harder for me to make my stories longer. But don't worry I'll try to make it up to you and write a longer one. As for Misao becoming her usual happy go lucky girl she was will be coming back on the next upcoming chapter in which I'm still working on. Well the love triangle is always complicated, you never know who Misao would choose but hopefully I'll be able to finish everything and tell you. So hope that youll be reading the next chapters I will be writing. Thanks again...

To soujiro-my love: well then I guess we both liked that part... because what more can be better than misao and soujiro kissing on the rain. Well I guess I had been real quick on the romance thing, but it was just like the first shocking kiss. Because they were both real lonely and they only found comfort in each other. Basically it isn't true love yet, its just the beginning. There still thinking about it and it is still confusing for our prince charming Soujiro. Well then thanks for all the help and I am very happy you liked my story. Ciao then...

To mysterious samurai: love the way you make the review on my story a fighting action scene. Well then I'm happy to know that there's a lot of you out there who love soumi fics and I'm glad. And please don't send the shinsen-gumi after me... I'm still so young ... well Ciao then... thanks

To MSNCHAN: thanks a lot for telling your friends, because they send reviews which helped in boosting my self esteem to write better. Am I the only reader who told you mad talk is fine? Well then I'm glad if I am. Well like you I also like the love triangle between Misao, Soujiro and Aoshi that is why its getting pretty hard for me to decide who will misao choose in the end, in which I'd like to keep for myself (it's a secret). Happy go lucky Misao will be appearing once again by the next chapter... hope that youand your friends will be reading it again... thanks... Ciao then...