Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin. I just play with it. Nobuhiro Watsuki alone has the rights to it. I can only hope to honor his great works.

A/N: Yes, Laura has been very lazy this summer, and for lack of things to do, finally got out her notebook to accomplish something. To clear up any confusion, the POV has only ever gone back and forth between Misao and Aoshi. It's just how I do things.
Where My Heart Lies ch 8

After that first kiss, I had worried until she reacted so positively. I will say only that the evening continued as such until the rain stopped and we could continue on our journey home.

The night that we reached the Aoiya, I found myself wondering what would happen if I proposed. It wasn't uncommon for people of our varied ages to marry. There were certainly more distantly aged couples then us. It made a political sense, as well. Such a marriage could only benefit the Aoiya and its occupants. There would not be any major objections. At most, there might be some wariness on the part of Okina for the woman who was both his pretty Misao and his Okashira. The feeling was deserved, I suppose, and I knew that he would never be able to trust me as he once had. Most importantly, I loved Misao. It felt odd to think of it in those terms, but the word best embodied my feelings for her.

My greatest concern was how to go about asking her. This was Misao, and so such a heavy advancement had to be handled delicately. She could handle something abrupt and casual, yes, but she deserved much more thought and detail than that. I had not missed the wonder in her eyes when she saw Kaoru's wedding ring. It would please her greatly were she presented with one of her own. I decided then that I would find a ring first and then wait until a suitable opportunity presented itself, in which I could catch her alone.

----------------------------------------------------- POV + Time ---------------------------------------------------------

I suppose in these past few weeks this has become my place where I can seek peace and solitude. Content enough to sit here at the edge of this same garden pond. I've been doing a little brooding of my own this week. Since our return from Tokyo, Aoshi has kept at a distance. He's always nearby, but distanced from myself, never closer than arm's distance. Like he's hiding something, playing "keep away," just out of reach.

He's up to something, but I haven't been allowed to know more than that. Agh! Damn him with his ability to restrict the flow of information! Okashira though I may be, if Aoshi wants to keep something from me, he still has the control to do so.

Okon and Omasu have been teasing me constantly, which tells me they know something that I do not. Shiro and Kuro, to their credit, hold too much fearful respect for their female counterparts to let me in on this secret. They regard me with apologetic faces whenever they pass by. Jiya, on the other hand, simply smiles sweetly in a manner that could very well equal the teasings of the girls. Once again, I would wait for Aoshi to come to me.

A/N: sigh I'm really having trouble figuring out how to do the proposal. I mean, I know how, but the dialogue always escapes me grr At least this chapter allowed me to get back into the story so that I can do so. Please review, it helps to make me confident in my writing and allows me to write freely without worry of value. Better yet, it tells me that you cared enough about the story to review, and that always pleases me. I'd just appreciate a review of what you like/dislike about the story, and yes, I will update when I sort things out. Also, if you haven't read it yet, I do recommend a reflection of mine with which I am well pleased (1:3 My Emotion). My profile is also updated as of September 1st.