Being Okashira

Part Eight: Work Beckons


"I've had some stupid ideas. Some would say lots of them, but let's not get carried away on the thought. Occasionally, I've acted on them, just... one or two."

Here she got a sour look or two that she ignored as her humor was unappreciated.

"But this, this was brilliant. It was a total and complete masterpiece, there's no way it failed."

She tried, fruitlessly, to ignore the piercing stare from the back of the room. Who had invited Aoshi in, anyway? She wondered, trying to determine whether that look in his eyes was a good thing.

"What are you doing?" she snapped. She looked directly at him, but he was completely impassive.

"Listening," he replied. "Should I leave?"

"No, but you shouldn't be huddling in a corner. Get over here! Besides, you're going on this mission. Didn't I tell you?"

Someone had to have told him, he was in the room.

Misao looked up from a paper in front of her sighing heavily.

Before her sat Okina, Kamatari, Aoshi and the two women from the kitchen.

"We had a small outpost in Tokyo that we were closing down. But there were still some important things there, namely some of the file stores and weapons, but mostly unimportant stuff. Only yesterday it was discovered my father's journals had been mistakenly sent there, including the scrolls with his secret technique detailing the Kaiten Kenbu Rokuren, it's history and other things. It's extremely important that this be returned. Your job is very simple: recover the lost wares."

"Do you have a suspect?" Aoshi asked, already looking deep in thought.

"Of course," she replied. "But I'm not going to tell you. This is a test of your detective skills, Aoshi. Good luck."

She attempted whole heartedly to pull off a serious face, but couldn't with the look Okina was giving her. He just didn't appreciate her humor. She broke into laughter, maybe she was overworked.

"You people are too serious sometimes, gives me headaches," she murmured. "Of course we have a suspect. You and Takani-san will be going undercover in Tokyo, it's very likely he's there. Okon will be attending as Takani's servant girl, and your partner."

"How does this relate to Takani?" he asked.

"She knows the target personally. It will make your job much easier, but how you handle it is on you, of course. You leave tomorrow, I expect a report by the end of the week. You may go," she waved her hand as though to brush him out of the room, but he didn't move.

Rather, he stood, staring so intensely at her it made her nervous.

"I will be in charge of this mission?"

She nodded. "Yes, do you feel you will need a male partner also? I could probably track someone down to go with you, although all of the Aoiya's main operatives are currently in place somewhere else. I could call someone from in Tokyo to help... I'll leave it up to you. Jiya will take care of the little details later."

Okina stood, he yawned. "I'm going to head out now. I think a trip to town will do me good. " He grinned lecherously.

Omasu and Okon stood. "Oh? Off to terrorize the town girls, again?"

The three walked out, Okina balking at the suggestion of that women found him a 'terror'. Kamatari chuckled.

"I suppose you won't be needing me for this mission?"

"Not unless Aoshi wants you to go with him." She looked up. "Need Kamatari?"

She was giving Aoshi complete and total control. She was trusting him with the details of the mission, the mission planning and execution, and she was trusting him with the safety of Takani and Okon. She hoped he realized it.

Aoshi turned an icy glare toward the flirtatious male, and Kamatari stood, hiding a smile behind his hand. "Guess not."

He turned, winking at Misao.

"No problems, Misao-chan, I'm not offended. Some men can't handle beauty like mine." He smiled. "However, I do know when I'm defeated. Would it be all right for me to return to Nara? All there is now is certification of Shinomori, right?"

Misao crossed her arms and glanced uncertainly toward the man who still seemed to be trying to stare her down.

"Go ahead, head back to Nara," she replied, not answering his question about Aoshi.

As soon as Kamatari left the rumors would start flying with vigor. Ever since Soujiro had gone, people had started talking. Now with only Aoshi remaining, it seemed like an inevitability.

Aoshi may have easily overtaken Soujiro and Kamatari, but he would be wise to remember he couldn't force anything on her and with one word from her, he would return to where he came from and the process would start all over again.

She sighed.

"You have a problem?" she asked, she hadn't forgotten he was standing there. Far from it, Shinomori Aoshi had a presence that could not be ignored. She was completely on edge with him around.

"I merely wished to discuss the details further, if that suits you."

She frowned. "I guess so, although Jiya is really much better suited so things like that."

She sat down wishing she had some tea, just to have something to stare at. Why him of all people?

She repressed a sigh. "What kind of details are you interested in?"

"You mentioned Takani..."

"Oh, right. Takani-san was an assistant during her medical training under a man called Hirashi. Hirashi was business partners with a port merchant who was called Okuba. He is the man you'll be searching for. Hirashi should be able to get you in contact with Okuba."

"You said the Kaiten Kenbu Roruken is in of the stolen books?"

She sighed. "The Oniwabanshuu secret arts aren't supposed to be written, but passed down from person to person. Honestly, the scrolls with the technique is just a rumor. No one actually knows what's in the journals of my father because no one dared to read them.

"Apparently he made some remarks when he was still alive that caused people to wonder what was in the journals."

For several minutes, he was silent, his gaze fell to her twitching fingers.

He stared at her, watching. Again, she looked small and overwhelmed. He wondered perhaps... Was he making her nervous?

He wanted to remain at the Aoiya, remain with Misao, but he could not. He could not request to stay, it was too much an opportunity.

He wanted to draw himself closer to her, and not entirely because he liked her. She would only hand over the Oniwabanshuu to him when he had her trust, before that she would staunchly refuse.

Aside from that, Misao did look like she needed protection.

She was staring down at the table, looking drawn and contemplative. Was something bothering her? Something more than the simple mission he was expected to leave on tomorrow?

"If you are able to locate the journals, please attempt to return them. If you cannot bring them, just destroy them. That is really all I'm worried about."

He nodded. "Aa."

He stood, preparing to leave, but decided to pause. He was the candidate, perhaps he could be afforded some leniency?

"Okashira?"

"Yes?" She sounded entirely too perky all the sudden.

He peered back at her, she was looking up with a smile. Was she trying to hide something? Did she just want him gone that badly that the possibility of him leaving brightened her up so drastically?

"Why is Takani-san here?"

She sighed heavily, looking away, her bright demeanor promptly dimming. "Ah, remember what I said about stupid ideas? Just count that as one of them, I'm not sure what I was thinking with that. I'll figure it out."

She reached up, scratching her temple.

"Anyway, off with you. I have stuff to do."

He didn't question the assertion she was busy, he was sure she was. He did, however, silently question the idea she had any intentions of doing work if he left. He felt, perhaps rightly so, she just wanted him gone.

That didn't seem promising.


Misao stared out the window, watching the rain fall against the glass. The wind had been blowing mercilessly all day and it had barely stopped raining enough for the others to make a quick trip downtown for some food supplies.

She'd been wrapped up in a blanket upstairs staring out the window for most of the day. It had been two long suffering days since Aoshi had left with the two women, Takani and Okon.

To say she was curious was an understatement.

She'd considered sending a couple spies out to peek out over the city where they were working, but had decided against it.

There was simply no time for it. No time and no spare men around to do the job. All the others were busy.

Rumors were flying around like crazy about faction groups dissatisfied with the government planning a coup. She'd been out of her mind since she'd gotten the report yesterday, trying to fathom how this was possible.

Jiya had assured her it was probably nothing more than a group of those from the disbanded samurai class trying to make a fuss, but she couldn't be sure, and she hated being uncertain.

To add to her uncertainty, she'd spent the day wondering what Aoshi would do if he were in her position right now. She hung her head in her hands, fighting the urge to yank her own hair in frustration. What was he doing?

She sighed heavily, closing her eyes.

She'd sent Okon along, not to help but Aoshi, but to spy on him and Takani. She grinned.

She loved her own deviousness.

She couldn't wait till they got back. The mission, in all it's fluffed up importance, was little more than a crock. She'd cooked it up skimming over some reports.

She hadn't sent them out on a premise of lies, just... inaccuracies. Takani really did know the contact personally, Okuba really was a bad guy, but the so-called journals were nothing.

She smiled.

She was just sending Aoshi out to get a feel for him and Takani. If she was one thing, and she admitted it forthright, she was jealous of other women. She would not accept Takani in any form, around Aoshi, her Okashira or not if she suspected there was still something there.

Of course, from what she'd heard, all that lay between them was a lot of bitterness.

She huffed to herself, turning her gaze out the window, eyes narrowing in fierce displeasure.

She hated that woman.

Okay, fine, she didn't hate her, she amended.

Takani was surprisingly useful, but she really, really didn't like her.

Smiling to herself she leaned back against the wall, snuggling into her blanket.

What was he doing now? Somehow the man just wouldn't leave her head.


Aoshi stared at the young woman Misao had sent along with him. Megumi was doing much of what she always did, reading. Her propensity for the solitary activity had never irked him before, nor did it now. He never liked clingy women and Megumi's personality seemed to suit him well. Or, he thought it had at the time.

But now, having met Misao, he'd begun to wonder about that. Misao seemed the type to be clingy if she were close - he'd seen her hanging off Hannya and Okina's arm once or twice, smiling brightly at them. Somehow, having her hang off his arm staring up at him that way seemed less and less like the bother it had been to him once.

He'd known women to attach themselves to men that way. They'd done it to him on numerous occasions, to which he'd responded sourly. Now, though, he wondered...

What would it be like? To have Misao cling to him?

Okon, on the other hand, did not appear to be the quiet type and was currently staring out the window looking disgruntled.

Her attempts at making conversation had died on every turn and she didn't appear one bit happy about it.

"I'll have you know the both of you are boring," she huffed, standing up. "I'm going to bed."

She passed from the small room into the next. It was a small place outside of town that looked abandoned. Dust covered everything, but they hadn't minded. They were just passing through and borrowing the old place and it had two rooms, that was a wonder if nothing else. Well, it was really one room with a long, thin set of shoji doors down the center to separate it off, but no one was complaining.

Okon peered around and quietly slipped out the door into the next room, sliding the door closed.

Misao had wanted her to find out something about Takani and Shinomori but it wasn't such a simple job.

Both were so tight-lipped.

She remembered the conversation she'd had with Misao the night before they left very clearly.

"Need something, Misao?"

The young leader looked up from her book, frowning. "Hey, come in, sit down, sit down. I was waiting for you."

"What's going on?"

"I want you to spy on Aoshi."

Okon blinked. "What?"

"That's your job. You'll be going as Takani's assistant, but I want you to spy on them. Find out what's going on, etc."

"With Takani and Shinomori?" she asked, baffled.

"Right."

"May I ask why?"

Misao sat back. "Wouldn't you? She's the enemy! Competition number one! She must be destroyed!" Misao exclaimed dramatically, settling down a bit afterwards. "Seriously, though, she is a problem."

Okon frowned.

"Oh, don't give me that look. I didn't ask you to cut off her fingers and mutilate her face or anything."

She scoffed and looked back down at her book and Okon smiled.

"Right, I'll find out whatever I can."

"It's not gonna be easy, they're both ice-blocks. Good luck."

They shared a smile and Okon quietly left.

It had been less than two days and they'd already located the man in question. Tomorrow would be the confrontation, probably around dusk although she had the nagging feeling she'd be following around Takani and Aoshi would be off somewhere handling the work alone.

She didn't particularly mind being relegated to 'assistant' a.k.a. servant girl, but Takani was obnoxious sometimes.

So far she'd discovered nothing. It was a tad bit discouraging, but it was what wasn't said she was beginning to become interested in. Takani and Shinomori seemed, if anything, to be ignoring each other.

That had to be good, at least she'd thought so initially.

Then she'd noticed they were sneaking glances at each other. What she needed to do was get away and try to observe them from a distance to see what happened. Tomorrow, she'd try that when they headed into town. They had no definite plans until dark, at least she and Takani didn't. Aoshi planned something because he said he'd be gone all day before they'd ate this evening.

She sighed and headed for the far wall. She had only a few things and her blanket was one of them. Curling up with it, she drifted off, waiting to implement her plan in the morning.


"How long do you suppose this will take?" Megumi asked, after a length of silence, never looking up from her material.

Aoshi glanced toward her, remaining silent a moment. "We'll head out, presumably, by tomorrow evening."

"That's all?" she asked, raising her head as though she were truly in disbelief.

He nodded.

"I intend to head to town tomorrow," she stated, apparently not looking for approval.

Aoshi looked away.

This situation seemed entirely too familiar. He was acquainted with a time long ago when he sat in a wood side cabin with Megumi reading while waiting to meet up with his men.

A time that seemed long ago, but wasn't far from memory. At least, not far enough.

How interesting they should end up in a place so similar to one they'd parted in.

"What for?"

This time it was her who looked up, meeting his gaze directly.

"I want to see if there are any new reading materials. I heard there was this wonderful new solution for application to wound closures but I'm still looking into it."

If a person could count on one thing about Takani Megumi, it was her love of her work. The simplest question could lead into a speech on any number of possibilities all full of medical jargon that left one staring at her, perhaps in awe, perhaps just wondering what had been said.

It was admirable.

He stood, turning toward the door, discarding the tea she'd served him earlier. "I'll return later."

The weather had been mediocre, but it wasn't cold. He stepped outside and stopped, leaning against the old wall of the place, breathing in the night air.

This project should be over by noon the following morning. Okuba had proved to be a pushover, ridiculously charmed by Takani. He'd practically melted. Aoshi had been near disgusted at the display, thinking he'd disembowel himself before he bowed at a woman's feet like that.

All he had to do was check out the location he'd heard about. Some pawn merchant by the river. He didn't expect to find much, having doubts about Okuba's reliability.

The possibility that he would find anything seemed unlikely. He'd investigated the storehouse just the day before and found nothing but the charred remains of a shack. It looked very much like everything in it had gone up in flames also.

He sighed and slid down to the ground, propping his kodachi at his side. It was best to get some rest, tomorrow would be the last day.

The thought was a light at the end of the tunnel. Traveling with Megumi and Okon was worse than Kamatari. He was regretful he'd sent the cross-dresser away.


Aoshi navigated through the crowded city streets irritably. He'd overslept, the sun was almost mid-sky. It hadn't helped Megumi and Okon were long gone, no doubt something she'd done with that sleep potion of hers she was making for Misao. He'd just barely heard about it yesterday. Foolishly, he'd not been interested in her little project and this is what it got him.

Damn woman. That was another thing that irritated him, her making him her little experimental project without telling him. He was never accepting food or drink of any kind from her again. Ever.

He growled as a man walked into him, stumbling out of the local tavern. The little man apologized quickly and scampered away.

Aoshi paused as he came around a corner to a less populated street. It was a narrow, dim little alleyway.

A young woman stood, adorned in a light colored furisode, a long, perfect braid hanging down her back.

He stepped forward. "Misao?"

The girl turned, smiled, and vanished.

He blinked, puzzled.

"What?"

What just happened?

He glanced away and looked back, but she wasn't there.

Well, it wasn't sleep deprivation, he thought, quickly pushing on. He couldn't afford to lose more time, he'd analyze along the way. Maybe he was suffering some kind of side-effect from Megumi's herbal medication?

He stepped away from the streets heading off onto the dirt path. His head felt woozy, his eyes tired.

"Aoshi-sama?"

He turned toward the voice, but there was no one. He was alone, now several hundred feet outside of town. Was that her voice?

Aoshi-sama? Was she calling him Aoshi-sama still?

He continued on, significantly worried. He needed to get to there and get back.

"Aoshi-sama..."

He stopped again, pitching unsteadily on his feet. What the hell was wrong with him? Hadn't he heard Megumi tell him at some point auditory hallucinations were the most common type ?

He turned, searching for the source of the voice. It was still and quiet on every side in every direction. Sunny, no wind, not even a whisper of sound. Total silence.

He started to move again, forward, his feet lumbering and feeling heavy.

"Aoshi?"

It was so close that time, he thought. He glanced around and stopped catching sight of a dark head of hair over his shoulder.

"Misao?"

He turned completely, staring at the girl in front of him. She looked real. Her eyes were narrowed as she stared at him curiously, obviously wondering what plagued him.

No, nothing could be wrong. She couldn't see him this way.

He took one step forward, staring at her kimono. Why was she dressed this way? He reached forward as his legs suddenly felt weak, and he fell.

His knees collided with the dirt, his hands fisting in the shoulders of her kimono as he attempted to steady himself, vainly. Her hands settled over his fists, eyes clearly worried.

"Aoshi? What's wrong?"

He tilted his head down, closing his eyes. Everything was spinning. He listed slightly, trying precariously to hold onto his delicate sense of balance. Her hands tightened on his, trying to steady him fruitlessly.

Unable to tide the uneven feelings he leaned his head against her, dropping his hands to her waist, holding himself to her.

He breathed her in. She smelled so good...

He just barely felt her arms slide around his shoulders before everything faded out.


Misao looked up. "Genius that I am... I don't remember this being part of the plan."

Hannya just stared at his leader trying, desperately, to hold up the fallen man, almost knocking her over.

"Kyah!"

He watched as she finally lost the short lived battle and hit the ground, Aoshi falling over her, completely out of it.

"What the hell happened to Aoshi? Where is Takani and Okon? Were my orders unclear or something?" she snapped, trying to push the man off her, unsuccessfully.

"Perhaps something went wrong," Hannya suggested, assisting her in pulling Aoshi off her.

She sighed heavily. "Right... Okay, grab Sleepy there and let's head to town. I'll stay with him, you find the other two."

Hannya nodded and motioned behind him. Kuro emerged and helped support Aoshi as they headed toward town.

The others were watching her, she knew that. Every time she looked back to see Aoshi, they looked at her. Granted, she wasn't so worried about what Hannya thought, but Kuro would tell the others and she'd be teased mercilessly by Omasu and Okon.

She sighed heavily and glanced back once more. What was wrong with him? He hadn't looked sick when she sent him out...

She'd been reading over a report given to the previous Okashira just hours and discovered it was common of her predecessor to visit injured agents in non-hostile times. She'd immediately grasped the opportunity and decided travel was what she needed.

Well, that wasn't her official reason for being where she was. Jiya had given her the third degree about her sudden travel plans and insisted that Kuro go with her, insisting that Hannya alone was not enough protection.

She was, officially, here to see one of her agents, Kurei, about some injury reports she'd gotten. She'd convinced Jiya a visit from her would be a good morale-booster and he couldn't argue the point.

"There is a meeting house near here, perhaps that would be better?" Hannya suggested.

Misao paused. "Good idea, we save money and don't look suspicious. I vaguely remember reading about a meeting house in this area..."

"Up ahead, two places down," Hannya informed her, his voice speaking of fatigue from lugging around Aoshi.

She smiled and approached the place, sliding open the door.

The courtyard within was deserted but she knew the place could not be empty.

"Pardon the intrusion," she called out.

The door slid open by a strangely genki old man.

"Can I help you, young lady?"

"Sure can, Gramps. I'm looking for Kurei," she replied, not sure whether she should be bouncy or serious for this meeting. "And Aoshi needs to rest for a bit."

"Kurei?" he questioned.

She flipped her wrist, to show her palm face up and the 3 silver balls dangling from a black, leather strip tied around and around her wrist.

He immediately began apologizing. She waved him off.

"Take him in and see him to a doctor. You have one here, don't you?"

"We will leave you now, if it is all right," Hannya spoke up, assured of Misao's safety within the house.

Misao turned back to Hannya and Kuro and nodded. "Finish this up, grab Takani and Okon. If Aoshi is okay, we leave at sunset."

They both nodded and headed back out and she tucked away the metal jewelry within the folds of her clothing.

It had been given to her to use as an identifier as Okashira by Okina, but it was not the Oniwabanshuu standard. That, she was told, she was not permitted to carry. The Oniwabanshuu Okashira standard was something only the males, the official leader, could carry.

What she had was the temporary standard, reserved for the few lady leaders before the men took over.

Something, it seemed, that would be given to Aoshi on his certification.

She stepped into the open doorway and took a deep breath. She hated visiting other places, she always felt so... fake. Well, maybe not fake... Powerless maybe. Like she was being looked down on.

She hated the feeling, but she'd never in a million years let anyone see it.

"How is everyone doing?" she asked, her voice sedate.

The meeting house had been turned into a triage center after there had been a major explosion on one of the local docks. Her men had been renting a warehouse at the location when munitions in a neighboring building had been set off by rebels angry over the foreign trade.

"I apologize, Okashira, I didn't know you had come."

Misao turned away from the old man, instead turning to look at a woman in the opposite doorway.

"You are Kurei, then?" she asked, guessing.

She nodded. Damn her luck, Misao thought. Another beautiful woman, why the hell were there so many of them around her? She could've screamed.

"How is everyone doing?" Misao asked again.

"Well. We've lost the expected number of men, 2, but everyone else seems to be recovering well enough."

Misao brightened at the thought.

"And Aoshi?"

The woman blinked. "I'm sorry, who?"

"I brought him in, not ten minutes ago..." Misao replied.

The woman cast a puzzled glance at the man by her side.

"I believe he was taken up to a sick room. I shall find out for you."

The old man bowed to her, and asked for permission to leave. She waved him off. Misao looked away, silently exhaling. What a day... She was never making another morale-trip, ever.


He could hear the shuffle of feet and soft breathing but it was hard to hear anything over the pounding in his head. His ears seemed to be ringing with the sharpest, most irritable tone that wouldn't fade.

Damn woman, he cursed. When he got his hands on her...

"Feeling better, Aoshi? What happened?"

He squinted, his eyes fluttering open to settle on a blurry Misao. Or, maybe that wasn't Misao?

He blinked a few times, hoping the image would clear and, thankfully, it did.

"What do you need a sleeping tonic for?" Was it her intent to drug people? Was it some kind of weapon he should be looking out for? Maybe she just had trouble sleeping?

She stared at moment, looking puzzled.

"Oh, you mean Takani-san's project? That's for Jiya. He doesn't sleep well these days and sometimes he gets too rowdy so I like to send him to bed early. It's good for him."

This was the kind of thing she gave Okina? He pitied the old man.

"Although, what does that have to do with you and why are you falling all over the street? I was really worried!"

He settled, willing his body to stop aching, but his head ignored him and continued to throb.

"Where are the others?" he asked.

"With Hannya and Kuro, stop dancing around my questions. What happened to you? I left this whole mission in your care and I come into town and you fall all over yourself, or well, fell all over me. "

He wondered if she felt half as disturbed as she sounded.

Fell all over her? Well, he thought absently, that must've been a sight. She'd probably crumple and be stuck beneath him.

"I don't know," he answered, completely honestly. "I think it was Megumi's medication."

"Were you sick?"

Did she have to ask him twenty questions now? Any other time would be better than the present, but she persisted and sat where she was, stubbornly at his side.

"No," he answered, hoping she wouldn't ask anything else.

She sighed and he opened his eyes again. Her gaze was toward the floor, staring at nothing. Had she really been that upset?

Over him?

Her hands slid around his, one beneath his palm, the other curled around the back of his hand. She was so warm...

He closed his eyes. "I'm sorry." His voice barely a whisper. "Failure is unacceptable."

Behind her, the door slid open. Misao growled at the interruption.

"My apologizes for interrupting... May I see you, Okashira?"

Aoshi's eyes fluttered open and he glanced past her toward the woman and then turned away again. She looked like one of those types he didn't like. He had gotten good at identifying them at first glance.

Misao squeezed his hand and stood up, moving away from him toward the lady. Why did she seem so upset?

She stepped out into the hall and he sat up, groaning. He was in a collective sick room, he thought, staring at the others injured around him. Must've been serious, he thought, glancing at blood stained bandages.

He pulled himself to his feet and followed after Misao. She hadn't wandered far and was standing at the opposite end of the hall, her arms crossed, her chin tilted up, eyebrows drawn down.

"Unacceptable. Fix it." He heard her say.

The woman wrung her hands. "But, Okashira... Surely, you see the benefits of abandoning this project. Continuing on this way will only cause more damage -"

Misao growled "Abandoning a project in which lives of my men are at stake is not an option at this point. If you thought it was a good option before you should have mentioned so long before it got this far along!"

"But-"

Aoshi stepped up. Who was this woman to question Misao? "If you cannot obey your orders, you can be punished and reassigned."

The woman's head jerked in his direction and she scowled.

"Misao is the current Okashira, questioning her authority will not be tolerated."

The woman's lips twitched. "I'm merely trying to appeal her decision, is all."

Misao shook her head, stubborn.

"If I may so inquire, what is the problem?" he asked.

"Tsuioka Katsuhiro has been a fugitive from the Tokyo police for 8 months. Because of the bounty placed on his head, several members of a small Tokyo band went deep under cover hoping to root out the illegal bomb maker and get the reward. I approved, seemed like an okay idea.

"As it turns out Tsuioka has aligned himself with a radical group of followers determined to rid Japan of the foreign menace. That's what happened to the men upstairs, a dock explosion. Kurei wants to abandon the mission and pull all Oniwabanshuu funds from the project and redirect them.

"That would leave the men implanted vulnerable without back up or contact with other Oniwabanshuu members and it would cut off a source of information. That is the problem. I couldn't just suddenly pull them back, it could jeopardize the entire organization if one of Tsuioka's men were to get lucky and discover the others were part of the Oniwabanshuu."

He stared at her in semi-amazement. Perhaps he'd been wrong on how well she handled Oniwabanshuu business.

"If I may..." he started, seeking her permission to intercede.

Doing anything that may damage Misao's reputation or standing as Okashira would cause irreparable harm at this stage.

She stood her ground, nodding sedately to Aoshi, giving him control of the situation.

"The Oniwabanshuu's current mission as defined by the current Okashira is the preservation of our peaceful Meiji period. Radical groups causing destruction and death to foreign merchants and ships would cause diplomatic problems to arise between Japan and foreign nations. It may also adversely effect the current economy given all the foreign trade. Since you are unable to handle this project, return to your home base. "

The woman glanced at Misao and Misao nodded, waving her off. The glare was fixed on her face as the woman turned, leaving them alone in the hall.

"You just sent her back? Is that a good idea? All these men here are used to being under her command."

"Never allow anyone to question you. Her feelings would influence those working for her and gradually chip away at your influence and ability to lead. "

She just nodded, a dim expression painted on her face. What was worrying her?

"Are you okay to travel? Hannya and Kuro should be back soon and I wanted to leave at sunset."

"Aa."

His head was still pounding, but he could deal with that. Megumi deserved a good verbal thrashing for setting him up with her potion clandestinely, but it was something he wouldn't get around to doing.

He heard Misao sigh as they walked toward the front door.

"So how did you end up with Takani's sleeping potion? You never did say."

"She put it in my tea."

"Without telling you?" Misao asked, astonished.

"Aa."

"Really?" she blinked, stopping to look back at him pausing in the open doorway. "She does things like that?" she asked, her voice raised in what might be outrage.

"... Aa."

"Ooooh! I wish she'd come work for me!" Misao shook her head, disappointed and Aoshi grinned just slightly.

What a girl she was.


End Chapter 8