Author's Note: Blah! I am Count Dracula! Blah! Fear me! pauses Hahaha! LoL! I'm so stupid!

Another thing, for those of you that wanted to join the petition, I'm sorry to have told you this later on in the game, but you have to be a member of in order to make your signing valid.

The Winter of My Assassin Lover

-Previous Chapter

"Hm? Ah, yes! Silly me! How could I forget? I have a mission to accomplish before my own personal agenda. Oh well." He carelessly slung his sword over his shoulder and walked away in a happy manner, leaving the broken straw person on the floor. Soujiro smiled at the weapon leaning on his shoulder. "What's that? Don't worry, we can always kill him tomorrow night."

He stopped in his tracks and looked at the setting sun. "Be thankful, Kenshin Himura. Your life has just been lengthened by one more night."

-Chapter 9

The three acquainted people now sat in a restaurant, waiting for their dinner, courtesy of Aoshi, who was actually willing to pay the bill.

Misao was clinging to her mistress's arm and rubbing her head against it, squealing," Oh, Kaoru-sama! I missed you so much! I thought you would truly be gone forever!"

Kaoru laughed at her maid's actions and replied," It's only been a day, Misao!"

"Yes, yes, but it's too long to be away from you, Kaoru-sama!"

Kaoru laughed again. "I'm glad you missed me."

"Thank you for waiting!" a waitress exclaimed, the party's food in her hands.

"Thank you," they all said as the woman placed the food on the table. Aoshi reached into his coat and handed the waitress her tip.

With a blush creeping to her cheeks, the woman nervously thanked Aoshi but shyly declined it. "Oh no, sir! I-I can't!"

But Aoshi wouldn't have it. He grabbed her hand and put the money in it, closing her fingers around the money. "No, I insist."

"Well, um, tha-thank you, sir." The waitress bowed and left hurriedly, her face flushed.

Kaoru giggled and playfully nudged her tutor with her elbow. "You still got the good ol' 'handsome charm' don't you, Aoshi-kun?"

The man took a sip of his tea and responded calmly with a soft hint of amusement in his voice," Whatever do you mean, Kaoru-san? I do no such thing to ensure a discount next time we come in here."

Kaoru and Misao laughed goodheartedly. "Now that's the iceman we know!" With much mirth and joy, the trio of friends ate happily into the night.

---

"Um… Aoshi-sama?" Misao asked, Kaoru's possessions in her arms along with her own. "Why did you order only one room?"

"Because it would be a waste to order another when we can use one just fine," Aoshi said, unpacking his things on one of the tables.

"What? But, Aoshi-sama! What would all the other people think! Not to mention, Kaoru-sama will be sleeping here too! Who knows what rumors they might spread of us!"

"There's no need to worry, Misao-chan," Kaoru commented encouragingly, taking her stuff from her maid's arms and dumping them on one of the beds. "We can use one bed and Aoshi-kun can use the other."

"What are you saying, Kaoru-sama!" Misao panicked," I can't share a bed with you! You are my mistress! I'm lowly! I'm-" Misao paused for a moment before saying. "Ah! It's all right, Kaoru-sama! I can sleep on the floor!"

She took one of the blankets and spread them on the ground. Lying upon it, Misao emphasized her statement. "Look, see? It's fine."

Aoshi just ignored the whole scene completely; sitting on the chair with a lamp on next to him as he read a book he had conveniently packed in one of his suitcases.

Kaoru clicked her tongue in annoyance and motioned for her handmaid to get up. "Misao, get up. It's fine. Besides, outside of the mansion, we're on equal terms."

"But-"

"No buts!" Kaoru ordered, tucking herself into the blankets after spreading her possessions around the room. "Now I want to wake up and find you next to me, ok?" Kaoru turned the other direction and gave another sigh of exasperation. "Jeez, Misao-chan. You make it sound so dirty."

Misao sighed, sitting on the edge of the bed. "I guess I just can't compete with you, can I, Kaoru-sama?"

"Nope, goodnight, Misao-chan."

"Goodnight, Kaoru-sama."

"Goodnight, Aoshi-kun."

The tutor looked up from his book, pushed up his reading glasses with his and finger, and mumbled an audible," Goodnight, Kaoru-san."

---

Aoshi had just finished his book when the clock chimed at the 12th hour. "Midnight already?" he grumbled to himself. He was about to make his way to his bed, but he spied a figure in the shadows, sitting next to Kaoru's sleeping form.

"Misao?"

"Yes, Aoshi-sama?"

"You're still up at this hour?"

"Of course. I have to watch over Kaoru-sama at all times, until sleep comes to claim me."

Aoshi reached out and cupped her face in his hands. He trailed on the bluish skin under her eye with his thumb. "It looks like you're still battling it out with sleep, aren't you? You should go to bed. Kaoru-sama will be fine in the morning."

Aoshi took off his coat and was about to crawl under the covers but stopped when Misao retorted," Are you sure about that, Aoshi-sama?"

He looked up at her with interest. "What do you mean by that?"

"Exactly how I said it. Are you sure that Kaoru-sama will be fine by morning?"

After a long pause between the two unmoving people, Aoshi broke the silence. "Explain, Misao."

She turned around to face him with a strained smile on her face. "It's nothing, Aoshi-sama. Goodnight." With that, the maid slipped under the covers next to her slumbering mistress. Aoshi knew she was wide-awake though her eyes were closed.

Seeing that he won't get an answer from her anytime soon, Aoshi nonchalantly shrugged it off and did the same. "Goodnight, Misao," he muttered. The maid needn't explain to him. He should've known. He had almost forgotten about that incident completely.

It was years ago. Aoshi had forgotten how many exactly, but he knew that it was a long time in the past.

-Flashback

Aoshi was still a young man back then. His family was in the middle-class so he worked as a tutor for all the spoiled little children of the rich swine that occupied the top of the social ladder.

He personally hated his students, except for one that was a bit different from the rest. Yes, he admitted, she was spoiled like all the others. But her intentions were just so… odd.

Whenever Aoshi concluded it was break time, a moment in her studies that Kaoru absolutely looked forward to, she would run out into the garden and just plop down on the grass with a girl around her age, if not younger. He had always thought that all rich people treated their servants like shit.

And he was right, but that's not the point here. The point is that not all rich people treated their servants like shit all the time. Kaoru was the perfect example. When Kaoru was younger, and she didn't know any better, that cute little brat, she had always thought that servants were there to attend to her every wish and whim. She was right.

But one day, a homeless girl by the name of Misao ended up at their door. She was mute, clothed in dirty rags, and literally thrown at the Kamiya doorstep in hopes that they would at least provide a home for her.

Lord Kamiya (have I ever mentioned his name in the first chapters? If I did, please let me know) didn't want another daughter so putting Misao to work, as a servant, would suffice.

All the other workers paid no heed to the little girl. Even Lord Kamiya ignored her after the first few days of her arrival.

But by sheer luck, Kaoru just so happened to be bored to death at the time it was Misao's turn to clean her mistress's room, and tried to get the little maid to talk. Now, I want you all to remember that Kaoru was young, innocent, naïve, and, to put it bluntly, stupid at the time.

She went up to the mute girl and directly asked," Why do you smell?"

----

Kaoru: How dare you make me say that! I don't want to be mean to Misao-chan! How dare you! (chases the author around the place)

Thundersister: I'm sorry! It was absolutely necessary! I just wanted to be a little different than all the author's that try to portray rich kids like Kaoru. Have you ever wondered why all the times that Kaoru is a rich girl, she is written as a nice, unselfish person?

Haven't you ever thought for one moment that she was raised to become one of the small brats? Think about origin here people!

Kaoru: That made no sense, you stupid authoress! (whacks head with a fan)

Thundersister: Ow! (cries) Oh well. I'd like to remind you all that the flashback is still going on so the beginning of the next chapter will be in italics.

Important(ahemnotreallyahem) Notice!

Ugh… (yawns and moves shoulders around to enhance the non-existent circulation) Man, I'm sorry you guys. Things have been hectic lately. I finally got the book I'm required to read for the summer. Plus, I have to do this reader-response journal due on the first day of school… Bummer…

Make up your minds people! It's either vacation or not! If it's vacation then why are you giving us homework!

(sighs in defeat) Ah, nothing you can do about it. Well, I've been thinking about making an account in What do you guys think? Besides, if you have read my profile, then you must know my obsession with the manga W Juliet. I've had this idea for a fanfic for a while and it's only up until now that I've decided to take some action… (At least thought of taking action, that is.)

So be sure to check it out if it does come out! Okay! I'm watching you! (squints at screen) But don't expect it to come out anytime soon! I'm still thinking about it! (And if I take this much time to think about a simple, not really, plot line, then you are certain that it's going to be good! Review it! But, before that, review this one! You know you wanna!