Divine Commiseration

Chapter 6: Memories I Had

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Rurouni Kenshin, including the poor mistreated Sou-chan!

Author's Note:
Oof! Writing takes a lot of energy! I almost fell asleep today when finishing up chapter 5, but I guess it's good to see that people enjoy the story! I really want to start writing other stuff... Like some never-have- to-be-updated one-shots! Don't worry, I do have some of them up. grins One is about Tomoe and her thoughts after she dies, another is one Soujiro and his 'family', the Juppon Gatana, and the last is a cute song-fic (based on Nat King Cole's L-O-V-E) on Megumi and Sanosuke. Look for them under the titles I was Your Refuge, My Family, and L-O-V-E (it was posted a few days ago, if anyone wonders). I think they'll be enjoyable. Well, I've blabbed enough this session... Enjoy!

As the sun grew higher in the sky, Soujiro watched the day pass of with the most of his thoughts. All the things that had stabilized him during the years was... slowly but surely disappearing.

What he had thought was right was now wrong, what was night was now day. What was next? They would say that Himura was the one who would win against Shishio-san, with him at his side?

It was strange...

One little girl could bring things to mind that he had tried to block out. What was he going to tell her next? That when he sleeps, he sees the faces of this 'family' as he smiled and slashes at them with the wakizashi? The girl needed to be disposed. And quickly. But he did not want her to die. Perhaps... Perhaps just until Himura came and had been defeated. Then, no one would be able to stop the Juppon Gatana and Shishio-san's Kuni Tori. Then, maybe, he can return the girl to the Aoiya. No one would know... She would never tell...

He moved slightly from the branch he sat upon, leaning his back on the tough bark of the tree whose leaves were getting larger and larger. It was quiet... Quiet enough for him to think.

That's a nightmare in itself.

He felt the need to torture something, and the new torture device that Shishio-san had ordered made was very tempting... But he was here on orders. To be a look out boy. To be the message boy. He shrugged, anger not exactly taking place in him, or annoyance. Just because he could run fast didn't mean he always wanted to!

Then again... what was there to lose? He was finally away from Hoji, and that was always a plus. Not to mention the other Juppon Gatana, which were starting to get on his nerves. He sighed softly. What a life for an eighteen year old assassin.

He realized that on the outside, most people saw him as just that—a talented killer with the face of a boy. Good. Let them feel that they were wrong as his sword or dagger. It was amazing how an innocent face could get you places even a trained ninja could not.

Including in a future grave.

Sighing softly, he grabbed the current sword hanging at his side and glanced at it slowly, relishing the smooth scabbard and the rough, white handle. It was cool to touch, unlike his forehead at

the moment. He must have caught a chill, or something like that.

The sword was his Kiki Uchi Mongi, his best sword... The one he was planning to use on Himura Battousai. He could feel the weight of victory in his hands. This was the sword that would help make Shishio's Kuni Tori a complete success.

Aw, what was he saying?! He sounded just like Hoji, that manipulative, rapidly balding ass-kisser. It was as if losing one finger was being crowned emperor. Just because he couldn't feel emotions didn't mean that he couldn't read others.

No, he, Seta Soujiro, had no ambition that he knew of. All he wanted at the moment was to uphold his philosophy, Shishio's philosophy, to kill Himura, and to keep the girl alive. Well, at least alive for now.

But then again, what thoughts were those? What amazing ambitions were those?

It was simple enough, but... When it finally came to him, it didn't seem that simple anymore:

He didn't have any. And according to most people, no ambition meant that...

It meant that he really had lost his soul.

Misao heaved a heavy sigh and threw another kunai at a nearby tree. It hit the trunk dead on, as she expected. Walking towards it in a slouching manner, she grabbed it and walked back. If only she wasn't so bored!

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse, her stomach started grumbling. Loudly. She wanted to wail out and scream for that smiling brat. Earlier that day, she had wandered around the small Shinto temple, looking for a water source of some kind. She found a well, and though slightly suspecting it, she quickly pulled up a bucket. Luckily, it was clean enough, so at least she wasn't thirsty, or as dust covered. She was sure her long hair had been huge rat's nest by the end of the night, so she finger combed through it and braided it again, hoping that it was at least somewhat neat.

Still, she had no urges whatsoever to kill anything brown and fluffy, much less skin it. When she was traveling, she always brought money, or at least her kunai so she could steal money. Now... Here... She groaned inwardly. Even if there were travelers, who would ever feel threatened, even mildly, by a girl in her sleep-wear?

What was the point of waiting here for him? Sure, she had no idea where she was, but she was smart... If she could just... er... look at the sun and stuff, it would be easy for her to get back home!

Now, which way did the sun point again?

Misao felt like throwing a tantrum, or at least inflicting pain on someone nearby, but sadly, she was alone. She dumped her butt down and sat on the steps, once again waiting.

Unknown to the little ninja girl, Seta Soujiro was already there, watching her. The thoughts he had earlier were suffocating to his senses, and he couldn't help but go back and see the girl. She was something he just couldn't believe.

At the moment, she freely expressed annoyance and boredom, exhaling those huge breaths that came from the bottom of her heart. His eyes wandered over her face as she let her eyes drift to the sky, then stop there, daydreaming. What was she thinking of?

What did he thinking about? Perhaps Shishio, maybe death, but wasn't that what all killers thought of? Their mentors and blood? Perhaps not Himura, but he was a rurouni now. And that was different.

He watched as she pulled out several tobi kunai and grasped them tightly between her fingers. Leaning forward slightly and brushing slightly on a few leaves, he would have never expected the kunai to come flying at him, especially not that close to his head!

Soujiro smiled benevolently, pulled out the small daggers with a quick jerk, and jumped down gracefully, a few feet from her.

She was breathing slightly heavily, no doubt scared that someone was coming to get her. When she saw his beaming face, Misao felt extremely relieved. She held out her hand for the retrieved kunai. "I thought you were someone else!"

Ignoring the comment, Soujiro handed her the kunai. "You're better than I thought," he said softly.

Nodding her head happily, Misao grinned. "Yep. Beshimi taught me, along with Hannya."

Soujiro guessed that they were ex members of the Oniwa-Banshu, perhaps the one that Shinomori had buried and had feelings for. Settling for a nod, he pulled out another packet of food. "I got it in town earlier," he explained.

Glad she could fill her empty stomach, Misao grasped the packet and fumbled with the ties. "Thanks, Soujiro. I was starting to starve to death!"

As she was deeply interested in the contents of the packet, Soujiro stole another look at her frame. Indeed, she was extremely slender, her form lithe. Pale skin that didn't seem to burn in the sun, as Yumi's did. Her legs were long, though she was still considered short, but then again, so was he. But... what was a Tenken to do? He was supposed to be as emotionless as stone. He didn't have to be ice, like Shinomori, with his almost insane pride and want to be the strongest, but Soujiro could definitely see the places they were alike.

Stopping before he could get caught, he watched as she once again stuffed the food into his mouth, slightly amused. "Misao-san, I don't want you choking on that fish. Please be careful."

Misao pretended not to hear as she continued to consume the lightly seasoned, grilled fish. "This is so yummy! Where'd you buy it?" The question had no hidden purpose behind it, though it could have. Any other kidnaped ninja girl would have realized that, though amazingly fast, the food would still have to be relatively near for the Tenken to buy it in less than four hours. Misao, however, is not one of those ninja girls.

Soujiro shrugged lightly. "I have no idea. Can you cook, Misao-san?"

Misao repeated the motion, lifting her shoulders up in a silent movement. "I can cook well enough, I guess, but I'd rather get Omasu or someone to cook me something. Or go out and buy something." She paused for a moment. "I guess I can get a little lazy."

Soujiro grinned at her words, then started walking towards the top step of the temple, where he had left her earlier the day. Misao, without needing a command, followed him. The two sat down on the stone steps and stared out to the trees, not a word between the two.

Finally, Misao broke the silence. "Soujiro, do you ever have dreams of your childhood?"

Soujiro was slightly shocked at her rather random question, but answered as truthfully as he could, not finding the heart to lie to the green-eyed, highly optimistic girl. "I really don't sleep long enough to have dreams, Misao-san. Why do you ask?"

Misao propped herself up with her hands, elbows on her knees. "Because, sometimes I dream of when I was little, and... well, I don't know whether I should think of them as comforting or not."

"For example?" Soujiro prompted.

"Well, I always have nightmares of the day Aoshi-sama and the other Oniwa-Banshu left me behind in Kyoto..." She said the words thoughtfully, then scolded herself mentally for calling the betrayer, Shinomori Aoshi, by his first name, and with a suffix, too! Old habits die hard, and this was one of them.

"How did they leave?" Childish curiosity took place instead of mature sympathy. "Or, I should say, why?"

Misao paused, her eyes following a bird as it took flight across the sky, flitting from one branch to another. "As you might already know, Shinomori was the youngest Okashira of the Oniwa-Banshu. He was really... respected at the time. I had come to stay with them with I was... seven, I think, and I always hung around him, and the Oniwa-Banshu that... that Kanryuu killed." She smiled softly, in a bitter manner. "They were my best friends... Then, when the revolution ended, and the Oniwa-Banshu weren't needed anymore, most of the ninjas disbanded, with permission, of course. Shinomori and Hannya and Beshimi and everyone... Well, Shinomori decided to just leave. He told Jiya to take good care of me, because he wanted me to grow up like a normal girl or something like that. Course, like that could happen. They already taught me so much... And I wanted to learn more." Misao paused for breath, then finished the last bit of her tale. "So they left me... After I fell asleep that one night, they all left. Without saying goodbye."

Some tears prickled at the corners of her glorious eyes, threatening to become something more. She quickly sniffed and looked to him, smiling again. "And I have dreams of that all the time..."

Soujiro nodded again, opting for a silent head movement to any soothing words. "Misao-san, I think I understand what you mean now."

He watched as she turned her head back to the forest, and could see the extra shiny tint in her eyes. Old memories still brought passionate feelings, it seemed. If only that was the same way with him. If only that was the same way...

Ending Note:
Wicked Enough=Not happy with chapter. I'm all for character development, but I want to see some action. I know, I could just make everyone out of character for a few sentences and let them fall into passionate embraces, but I'd rather keep this fanfic clean. Argh. If only... Well, I was trying to get some fluff, or, I was planning to, but too late now... Maybe in a later chapter. Heck, they might not even liplock until the end of this! Oh, and one more note I forgot! This story is turning out to be a little bit longer than I planned it would be, so hope you guys will still stay with me! Maybe... seven more chapters. I think that should be okay! Well, thanks for all the reviews and comments! You guys make my day, and definitely make my creativity demons (A.K.A. muses) run amok! Thanks everyone!

Responses to Reviews:

GoldAngel2: I'm such a bad, bad person! I've promised you multiple times to read your fanfiction, but I've been so behind in my writing (argh! Blame this story!), that I haven't had a chance to read pretty much anything. Still, I cross my heart and hope to get my hands chopped off that I will read your RK fanfiction, even if it puts me behind schedule. What's that matter when you have your friend's pieces of art to enjoy, right? Oh, thank you so much for still sticking with this story! Though I'm having a little difficulty writing it, it's still moving along smoothly enough for me to enjoy this some-what bumpy ride! Thanks for the offer again—I won't forget!

xT-Zealot: Oops, guess I overlooked Festival! I read the newest chapter, and boy, am I hooked! Please write more, and update soon! It would definitely make this writer happy!

Nakashima-Michiyo: Eek! Your enthusiasm for this story and new chapters is inducing heavy guilt! Now I have to go write another chapter and post it! LOL, just kidding. Sorry about the no-fluff chapter, but I was kinda blocked. I promise something will happen soon!

Pyrotess: Glad you're still following this story! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!

Shinji Ikari: Since you mentioned it, which ones, in your opinion, are some of the better Soujiro/Misao stories in the RK section? I usually get inspired by reading other people's things, especially if they're well written, and I trust your taste. I did edit (somewhat) the first chapter, so the kunai and Shukuchi facts are now correct. The episodes that I missed are 51-60, which is going to be a bit of a problem for me. Thankfully, with all the facts that have been provided for me, and the fanfic (so accurate I think it's almost unbelievable), I am Tenken no Soujiro will be enough. I haven't seen any of the Samurai X movies, but I figured that the dubbing would be bad, since, well, how in the heck did they get Samurai X out of Rurouni Kenshin? Sure, Kenshin does have a scar on his face, but even so, shouldn't it be Rurouni X? Well, anyway, so sorry about the OOC on Soujiro's part. It's getting increasingly difficult not making him a bit more open towards Misao, so I have to reread every big of his thoughts and conversations over and over to double check. I hope you start writing RK fanfiction soon! I know that I would read it over and over again! As for dressing up as Soujiro—awesome. I would have loved to see that! Thanks again for the review, and your amazing support!

Blank: (I'm sorry if you're someone I know, but has been making mistakes by cutting of the username—this also happened to Twilight Sky.) The Soujiro being a product of a prostitute and a family member is another version of his past, but I've chosen to use what I am right now because I've seen that version on the websites more. Kudos to you for remembering, though!

Hitori no Hikari: Glad I found a new reader, and hope that I haven't disappointed you with this new chapter! Thanks for your support!

Saku: Hey Saku! It's okay that you didn't review the last chapter; I understand about being grounded! Hopefully you enjoyed this new chapter!

Twilight Sky: Yep, I got your reviews! It seems that has been making quite a few mistakes, but that's okay, I guess, as long as they don't mess up my story! I've actually had the microwave explode before... I put in popcorn for too long. grins Well, I guess this means we'll both either fail home ec, or we'll have to find someone to cook for us! This story? Immediate public? Naw, that's too flattering! I'm just a lowly writer who's trying to live off of burnt food and reviews! Course, I've undercooked stuff, too... Oh well!

JMeg: Glad you enjoyed this chapter, too! It seems I have a definite fan in you! Hope I don't disappoint you in the future!

$$$$$$$$ (Money-SAMA): It's okay about the mistakes—I still understood perfectly. I do know the sword Soujiro used against Kenshin—it was his legendary, white handled Kiki Uchi Mongi. That part will be included, and thanks again for your help and support!

LoVe In tHe RaIn: Sorry about the mistakes—I've had multiple readers tell me that I wrong. However, I think I did change it; I'll check later. Thanks for the review and sorry again!