Ghost writer
By dee1600
Author's note: I am ending this story with this chapter and will soon be working on two new stories --- one inspired by a Japanese drama and another from a shoujo manga. I still am deciding whether to use different characters from other anime or to use the same characters from Rurouni Kenshin. Anyway, I hope to have entertained you with this story. Please look forward to the other two stories.
Sincerely,
dee1600
P.S. I am very grateful to the support, loyalty and patronage of the following reviewers:
1kenshinlover
Mandella-sama
kenni
It.soniablade
Shout2danorth91
Wai-mi
Animelover
Neko-yuff16
AnimeGirlSy-sai
MxA4eva
Tsuki Hoshi hikari
Misa
Ann
punkrockergrl
JK
Sakuragurl
Rikku
gabyhyatt
keanie
KC Evans
Jess
If you have any other comments/ suggestions, I would love to hear them. This is my first fan fiction.
P.P.S. To kenni: Yes, Kaoru is 3 years older than Misao, is a sophomore in college, and does part-time work at several places including the Aoiya (where she is not the bartender or waitress but the assistant cook). Her shift at the Aoiya starts at 6 pm and ends at around 1 am. Although she and Misao are not blood-related, she cares for her and acts as Misao's older sister, confidant and friend.
To Ann: I would like you to give me a better and more detailed suggestion than the comment "It was getting good and then it stopped." It would help me with my future writing possibilities.
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Misao dodges the first flying wooden target and slams her fist into the second one. Standing a few feet away from her is the elusive Aoshi, throwing as many wooden planks as he could in her direction. It has been five months since that fateful encounter with Tomoe.
Tomoe was excluded from the school for cheating and bullying. Aoshi became the star witness to the school's investigation. Misao, on the other hand, was found not to be without fault. Some members of the committee felt that although she was a victim of bullying, her assistance to Tomoe meant that she was a conspirator to the cheating incident. During their deliberation however, Aoshi continued to plead Misao's case, arguing that she was a victim of both acts as bullying also forced Misao to help Tomoe cheat. Proof of this was the evidence of Misao's final stance against Tomoe, which was revealed in all three separate individual interviews. Even Tomoe admitted that Misao had actually defied her in their last meeting. Aoshi instead asked that Misao be given counseling and special self-defense training. The investigatory board finally decided to allow Misao to stay in the school. However, because the committee could not say whether she actually cheated in her own classes, Misao was then forced to repeat her junior year. Furthermore, both of Aoshi's requests were acknowledged --- Misao was requested to have periodic counseling under Hajime and self-defense training under Shinomori.
"I am beat!" Swiping the last wooden plank with her left palm and splintering it into pieces.
"Alright. We can rest awhile."
Aoshi then moved over to the benches to hand Misao her towel. She murmured a cheerful "thank you" and opened the shoji door to let some air in. Both of them then sat down on the dry thatch floor of the dojo. It was a cool, starless night and the cicadas were chirping their song.
Aoshi glanced at Misao and caught her smiling dreamily at the sky and wondered why the picture of Mr. Hajime actually receiving that smile made him gnash his teeth. He should be glad that Hajime was actually taking in all of Makimachi's insecurities. There were times when Saito had to pull out his bokken to stop Misao from actually gagging him with all her incessant chatter. He didn't understand why he had wished that Misao would actually tell all her anxieties to him instead. Maybe, it was because on that fateful day, when the verdict was finally given, he had cradled a bawling Misao and felt that everything was alright in the world.
Heaving a sigh, Aoshi tried to stand up, but Misao's right leg struck his left leg, unbalancing him. He fell to the floor with a thud and Misao quickly pinned Aoshi with her body, putting her arms onto his shoulders.
"Misao?"
"You're caught off guard, Shinomori." Misao was actually chuckling at his bewildered expression. "My sparring teacher told me that I should never allow myself in such a state."
"Then you learned well."
"Because I had a good teacher." Misao smiled, a pink hue tainting her cheeks.
"Coming from you, I'd say it was a compliment. Thank you."
Misao then placed her arms around his neck and warapped her arms around him. As she did this, she whispered softly in his ear. "No, thank you… for saving me."
A ghost of a smile crept on his lips. He closed his eyes and succumbed to her embrace. Overhead, a shooting star streaked across the distance sky, completely unnoticed to the couple who held each other, without a care in the world.
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A/N: The term exclusion means that Tomoe is ejected from Soujiro Academy. Expulsion and exclusion are different in the sense that expulsion means that Tomoe would not be allowed to enter any school while exclusion means that she is not allowed to enter Soujiro Academy only. Since she is just a high school student and members of the school board believe that education is still a primary need for one as young as Tomoe, they have decided to place her on exclusion instead.