Disclaimer: I don't own RK.

Chapter five Acceptance

A week later:

After the 'hit on' incident, Misao and Soujirou's relationship wasn't so strained anymore. Actually, they were getting along quite well. Sure they had little tiffs about how Soujirou seemed to go through his chores with the speed of light and take on a perfectionist attitude towards little things, and Misao was a little annoyed at how Soujirou seemed to take on a certain former Hitokiri's habit using the honorific donno, but all in all it was an okay relationship. Platonic, but a genuine relationship.

"Hey, Sou-kun." Misao said, lazing on a tree branch while the Tenken did the laundry. "Yes, Misao-donno?" he replied, not turning his head from the wet clothes, though listening intently. "I was thinking..." Misao continued, jumping down from her perch. "... You never really did get your jacket back, did you?" Misao said, sensing that something had been out of place in Soujirou's attire.

"What do you mean, Misao-donno?" Soujirou said, turning from his laundry. "How did you know I wore a jacket?" he said nervously, his smile drooping a bit. Though his expression was his smiling, clueless rurouni self, inside his mind was racing furiously. 'How did she know I used to have a jacket. Oh no. Could she be remembering that time at the village?' he thought.

"Remember. Jiya was telling me about how you got the job here cuz' you forgot your jacket. I was wondering why you looked sort of... different." she replied, looking over the rurouni. "Oh." Soujirou said, letting out a small sigh of relief. "You don't need to concern yourself about that, Misao-donno." he finished, turning back to his laundry. Misao caught his eyes flickering, as though keeping a secret, but she decided to ignore it. "Well, I was just thinking. We could go out and get you a new one." Misao said, her face hovering over the rurouni's head. "You needn't do that for me, Misao-donno." Soujirou said, blinking at the close proximity Misao was from his own face.

'My she smells nice...' Soujirou thought, but realized what he was musing about. 'Hey! Stop that. Besides, she can't ever fall for you. She's in love with Aoshi, remember.' a voice in Soujirou's head scolded. 'Well, yeah, but.' Soujirou mentally said, trying to reason with the small voice in his head. "But nothing. You can't stain her with your tainted hands. She deserves better.' the voice berated. 'Ok.' Soujirou said dejectedly.

Suddenly, Soujirou felt a rapping on his forehead. "Hello. Earth to Soujirou. Anybody in there?" Misao said into the poor Tenken's ear while knocking his head. "Ara?!" Soujirou said, tumbling back. Misao sighed. "Geez, sometimes you are a Baka Sou-kun. You've been zoning out a lot these days." Misao said, wagging a finger at Soujirou. "Heh, I can't help it, Misao-donno. It's just the way I am, I think." Soujirou said laughing, his smile growing a little wider.

Misao couldn't help but let out a small chuckle herself. Whenever she was with Soujirou, she felt at ease. Sure, she could talk to the others at the Aoiya about anything, but Soujirou was the only one she actually wanted to share things with. He didn't tell her to act like a lady, like Okon and Omasu, or treat her like a little kid as Okina did. And it was a nice change from her stoic Aoshi.

"Well, whatever, Sou-kun. All I'm saying is that that you'd look better with a coat. Something in blue, maybe." she said, stepping back and looking over the Tenken from head to toe. "I don't know Misao..." Soujirou began to say. "Come on, Sou. I want to get you a new coat. A welcome present, so to speak." Misao interrupted, not wanting to hear anything against it. "Well..." Soujirou began. "I won't take no for an answer." Misao winked. "Oh, alright." Soujirou conceded throwing his hands up in defeat. "Great, come on!" Misao said, taking the Tenken's hand. "B-but the laundry." Soujirou started to stutter a little surprised that the female ninja grabbed his hand so suddenly. "Oh, someone'll take care of that. Let's go!" she brushed off the comment, literaly dragging Soujirou away.

"If you insist." Soujirou said, letting himself be dragged away by the lively young woman, thinking that he might as well enjoy the ride.

The Market:

Soujirou weaved through the crowds, a little unnerved by the number of people. Misao, however, seemed to thrive in the frenetic, bustling atmosphere of Kyoto. All around, stores and stalls displayed their wares, barking, yelling, and doing anything to get the attention of passersby.

"Here we are." Misao stopped abruptly in front of a quaint little tailor's shop. "Oh, hello, Misao." a kindly old man said as he saw the couple go into the store. "Hey, Mr. Nakane" Misao said greeting the man with a wave. "My dear Misao, always wearing those yakutas. When are you gonna' wise up and buy yourself a nice kimono. You'll be the talk of the town." Nakane said playfully. "You know that I think those things are too confining, Nakane-san. Besides, I think that Okon and Omasu would have a heart attack." Misao replied good-naturedly. "And I'm not here for me. I've brought Soujirou along with me." she continued, pointing to the rurouni.

"Oh. I see." Mr. Nakane said, a mischevious twinkle in his eye. "Well, come along then, Soujirou. We'll see what we have for you." he said motioning for the Tenken to go with him to the back. Once there, the tailor took out a tape measure and started to take notes on Soujirou's shoulders. "So, you practice kenjutsu I presume." Mr. Nakane said nonchalantly. "How did you know that?" Soujirou said in curiosity. "Little hints. Like you posture. It's one of the straightest I've seen. And the way this shirt is creased. The most stretched out parts follow the movements of a swordsman." Mr. Nakane explained. "I see." Soujirou said in slight awe, impressed by the wisdom of the old tailor.

"Besides..." the tailor continued. "... Misao wouldn't have chosen any other kind of man." he chuckled, putting away the measure and looking over jackets on a rack. "I beg your pardon." Soujirou said in confusion. "I'm not surprised that Misao takes a liking to you. Good that she finally got over her crush with Aoshi." Mr. Nakane said, handing Soujirou a jacket to try on. "You mean you think... Ara, we're not together or anything, it's just that she wanted to get me a new coat and, uh, and" Soujirou sputtered. "Hmm, if you say so." the tailor replied, not entirely convinced.

"There. Perfect. Just the right color to match your eyes." Mr. Nakane said, sizing up his handiwork. "Wow. It feels great." Soujirou said, admiring the coat. He gave the blue fabric a few stretches, seeing that it was soft yet warm to the touch, delicate and durable at the same time. "I'm not the tailor of the Oniwabanshu for nothing, you know." the tailor laughed, patting the rurouni on the back and leading him back to the front of the store. "Sou-kun, you look great!" Misao exclaimed, seeing as how the blue jacket seemed to complete the young man. "Thanks." Soujirou smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his head.

As they paid and were starting to go out the door, Mr. Nakane pulled Soujirou back. "Listen. If you ever decide to go for it, remember that Misao's not an ordinary girl. If you watch and listen, I know that you can figure her out eventually." the old tailor said, a twinkle in his wise eyes. Soujirou only smiled and nodded. "I'll try to remember that, Nakane- san" Soujirou said, before feeling a tug on his new coat's sleeve. "Come on, Sou-kun! I still need to get some groceries for the Aoiya!" Misao said impatiently.

"Coming..." Soujirou said, letting himself be dragged away by Misao. "Heh, kids..." Mr. Nakane said as he smiled, shaking his head as he went back into his store...

Later at the Aoiya:

"What a time for them to go out on leave..." Misao grumbled to herself as she was once again washing dishes. It looked as if Okon and Omasu were out visiting relatives, Shiro and Kuro were out in the country, and Okina was conveniently at the doctor's for something about food poisoning. "They leave us all alone to run a hotel. Can't they see we have our own lives to live, Sou-kun?" she said, turning towards the young man, who was doing the laundry. "Aw, cheer up, Misao-donno. At least it's a holiday so we don't have to worry about that many people." Soujirou said optimistically.

"I guess you're right, Sou-kun. Thank God you don't have anything to do on a Saturday night or I'd be bored stiff by my lonesome." Misao sighed. "Yes, well... Hey! It's not like I know anybody in town or anything of that sort." Soujirou said, catching on to the female ninja's underlying jibe. "Well well, it looks like our happy camper just got a little ticked off." Misao said with a small laugh. "Ha ha, very funny." Soujirou said, though he couldn't help but smile himself.

"Alright. I'm done with this batch. You hold the fort while I hang these to dry." Soujirou said, taking up the basket of dripping clothes. "Oh, ok Sou." Misao said, not really listening as she was trying to rub out an exceptionally stubborn piece of veal from her plates.

As soon as Soujirou went out to the back, the doors of the Aoiya once again swung open, but not for the better.

A couple of minutes later:

"There, all done." Soujirou said as he admired line after line of clean laundry. But before Soujirou could bask in the glory of a job well done, a crash from inside the Aoiya snapped him from his reverie.

"Misao..." he said before using his Shukuchi.

Inside:

The young woman aforementioned in a position to warrant the Tenken's concern. Avoiding another chair that was hurled at her, she peeked from behind an overturned table she used for cover. "Damn..." she thought as another article of furniture spiraled her way. "This is what you get for messing with our gang!" a large, burly man shouted.

It looks like the two bit thieves that tried to rob the Aoiya were actually very well connected, and about a dozen or so of their buddies, and one big hulking ogre. "Ha, no man can stop the great Buntaro!" the behemoth laughed. "Yeah, show her whose boss!" "Nobody messes with our gang!" his flunkies rooted. This only served to inflate the giant's ego and he puffed out his chest. "Ha! That's right. Now not only are we gonna' trash this place, but we're gonna' have some fun with you too, darlin'." Buntaro boomed.

That set Misao off.

"Over my dead body!!!" the petite firebrand screamed, jumping over the table and hurling her knives. ""Kansatsu Tobikunai!"

In her blind rage, Misao threw wild, her aim flawed. A couple of the kunai hit the lackeys and knocking one out, but not enough to actually stop the gang. "Get her boys!" the ogre cried. As one, albeit clumsy, body, the goons rushed the female ninja. "Too slow!" Misao yelled, sidestepping then grabbing one of the flunkies heads, cracked his skull against one other goon, and leapfrogged over the heap onto another man, wrapping her legs around the man's torso. Then with supreme effort, she threw the man's body like a catapult, throwing him to the pile. "Ha!" she laughed.

Suddenly, she felt a pair of tree-like arms grab her from behind, like the time right before she met Himura. She tried to slip out, but unlike the arms of the man in the woods, these weren't made out of flabby fat but were muscle-bound and strong. "I have to admit, yer' more trouble than ya' seem, missy." Buntaro said. "... but there ain't a woman alive that'll ever punk me!" he said, taking a fistful of Misao's raven hair and threw her towards the back door.

Misao closed her eyes and prayed that the impact would be mercifully quick. Suddenly, she felt herself being scooped up in strong arms, wrapped gently yet protectively over her small frame. "Wow. This feels nice..." Misao thought, unconsciously snuggling a bit closer into her savior's warm chest. "Ah, Misao-donno. You seem to be in a bit of trouble." a familiar and cheery voice said. Misao opened her eyes to see her smiling rurouni, beautifully illuminated by the afternoon sun that came from the open door he came through.

"S-sou-kun?" she said meekly, amazed at how different he looked up close. The Tenken only nodded and gently placed her back on her feet. "Don't worry, Misao-donno. I'll take care of it." Soujirou said, his smile still present, but his eyes seemed to narrow as his gaze turned from the female ninja and towards her assailants.

Misao tried to call Soujirou back, wanting to tell him that he had no chance against them, that he wasn't trained to go against such men, that she was worried for his safety. But her voice was stuck in her throat, the sense of irrational security that Soujirou had seemed to weave around her still present. "Yes..." she thought, a small smile taking form on her lips. "...you'll take care of it."

Soujirou walked with exercised calm towards the man, who was easily more than two feet taller than him. Buntaro glared at the young upstart that was in front of him. The gall of such a whelp to pit himself against Buntaro the Great!

And he was more surprised when the rurouni smiled at him. "Excuse me, sir. It would be in the best interest of both of our parties that you should walk out that door, point yourself towards the nearest police station, and commit yourself so that you may be rehabilitated into a useful member of society." Soujirou suggested, his expression as if he was talking to any other customer that came through the Aoiya's doors. Of course, it was the same voice he had used before ending the lives of many a greater man than the one in front of him.

"Why you little brat!" the ogre said, grabbing the Tenken's collar. "Ara. It would be best if you let go of my shirt, Buntaro-san. Your grip might stretch the fabric." Soujirou said, his silly grin apparent. The giant only grunted as he hefted Soujirou over his head and mad ready to throw him just like he did the girl. He swung his arm, but to his surprise, the rurouni was no longer there.

"My my. Not much damage, but I'll have to wash it a dozen times to get the stink out." Soujirou said, appearing beside Buntaro. "What the?!?" the brute sputtered. Backing away a few steps, he turned to three of his goons that weren't knocked out. "Well, what are you waiting for?" he yelled, jabbing a finger at Soujirou. The goons nodded slowly and tried to rush the Tenken.

This time however, Misao didn't blink and saw her untrained Baka Sou- kun take out three men. Or didn't see her Baka Sou-kun take out three men. In reality, it would be too confusing to say if she really did see or did not see the Tenken, but all she knows is that Soujirou took out a group of flunkies in literally under half a second. "What kind of person is he?" Misao thought, watching as an eerie silence settled in the Aoiya.

"T-tenken no Soujirou!!!" came a voice from behind the three of them. A trembling man said, pointing a dramatic finger at Soujirou, whose smile dropped to a thin line. "There's only one man that can be so fast. I should know. I was one of the men under his command." the man said. He had been one of the first ones who had been knocked out so he didn't see Soujirou come in. "So you're the right-hand man of Shishio, eh boy?" Buntaro said, turning towards the Tenken. "In that case, if I defeat you, then I truly will be the greatest man in Kyoto!" he bellowed.

The leader suddenly reached into his haori and pulled out a short sword, easily concealed by the folds of his clothes. "Prepare to die, boy!" he screamed. The glint of steel shook Soujirou to his very core. No longer was he in the Aoiya, but he was back in the burning Purgatory. He was back in the secret temple. He was back to a rainy backyard, with tears streaming down his face and a bloody wakazashi in his hand.

It all happened so fast. Misao couldn't believe at the speed at which Soujirou moved. But as soon as he stopped, Misao wished that she didn't see the sight before her. Soujirou was no longer smiling, and the short-sword was no longer in the Buntaro's hands. Soujirou looked at the bloody sword in his hand, and to the man in front of him. The giant's limbs were probably broken, and had angry lacerations running down all over his body. Not only that, but the force of Soujirou's blow had made the man go through the Aoiya's walls. But the brute still drew breath, which was the only thing that he seemed to be doing.

Soujirou's eyes were still steely as he began to speak. "You there. Get up." he said coldly, not turning to see if the goon got up or not. "Go to the police station. Tell them what's happened here." He said. The flunky gulped audibly, scrambled to his legs and ran screaming out of the Aoiya's halls.

Again the silence settled upon the hostel. "Tenken no Soujirou..." Misao whispered as she stood up from her place, her eyes gazing curiously at the man in front of her. As if on cue, Soujirou's smile returned. Looking down to his hand, a look of disgust crossed his face, only to disappear just as quickly. "Filthy." he muttered through clenched teeth, throwing the wakazashi away.

"Sou-kun. Is it true." Misao said, watching the short sword clatter noisily to the floor. Soujirou looked at her with a look of sadness, but only stooped down to gather her scattered kunai. "Yes..." he said, acknowledging Misao's comment. "...Though this is not the way I intended for you to find out." he finished, standing back up. "Soujirou! You could have told me! You know that I wouldn't have held it against you!" Misao argued as she tried to reassure her distraught Tenken. "Would you have, Misao-donno? Would you have, knowing who I am?" Soujirou said with pained eyes. There was a long pause as Misao considered the question.

"I thought so..." Soujirou said. Pulling out his smile, he turned and faced Misao. "Here, Misao-donno." Soujirou began, taking the young woman's hands in his own tainted ones and placing her kunai back. Misao only stood still as Soujirou clasped her hands around the familiar set of knives. Tears threatened to fall as Soujirou let go of her, the rurouni turning towards the door. "I hope you live a good life, Misao-donno. I know that there is no place for a Tenken in your future." he said, walking towards the double doors.

Internally, Misao watched as the rurouni, her rurouni, started towards the door. Inside she wondered was he right. Was it true that they only met by accident? That she couldn't hold a place in her heart for a lonely soul such as his? That he deserved this. He deserved his pain. "But... didn't you learn to care about him?" a tiny voice in her head whispered. "If it's true that you can't care for a murderer, how come it pains you so much to see him go?" the voice said, growing stronger. "Isn't he..."

"My Baka Sou-kun." Misao whispered, finishing the voice's sentence. Hearing his name, Soujirou paused, turning his head towards the female ninja.

"Ah?" he mouthed.

Misao raised her head, to reveal a tear-streaked face. But behind her tears was a radiant and defiant smile. "You heard me. You're my Baka Sou- kun." Soujirou stood in place as the Misao slowly took steps towards him. "YOU IDIOT!!!" she yelled as she promptly clocked the rurouni's head.

Before Soujirou could utter a single 'Ara' he felt himself in a warm embrace. "You are such an idiot." Misao said, still smiling and crying softly. 'How strange...' Soujirou thought, as if in a dream. '...She's a mystery to me.' he thought, looking down upon the girl crying on his shoulder. "But then again, I wouldn't mind it if this were the way she accepts me as..." he mused as he returned the embrace, encompassing his arms around the petite girl.

Instantly, Misao felt the same sense of security she accepted, no, *claimed* unconsciously as her own. "My Baka Sou-kun..." she said softly, her tears dried, her smile more gentle and serene, as she let herself sink into sleep after such an exhausting day, knowing that nothing bad can happen to her when she was in her Soujirou's embrace...

Author's Notes: Extra long chapter to make up for the days I didn't post. And since this *is* an extra chapter, maybe you'll be kind enough to give me a few extra reviews. (I'm trying to aim for at least 25.) Anyways, thanks to all my reviewers. Sorry I can't personally thank each of you, but I still have a lot of projects to do. I hope that this wasn't too waffy. As always, please comment on anything that you wish.

You know who wrote this- -FPotM