When Dreams Come True

NOTE: I just wanted to give a big thanks to anithene and Somnus. They have been giving me constructive tips and also compliments that would boost anyone's mood. My reviewers are the reason I continue. Thanks, you've officially given me a hobby that really pisses my mom off at late hours of the night. I love you guys!

Also, I've decided to lighten the mood on my story. No more sad memories for now, time for the humor to kick in! Hopefully, you guys will actually think it's funny. But besides the point, let's go!

If wishes could be granted

And dreams would come true

Would I be a believer?

And be happier too?

Chapter five – If only, if only

Dear Misao,

Thank you for the hospitality and your kind, giving nature. Like I said, you are very lucky to have such a wonder family, please tell them I said goodbye. I also apologize for not saying goodbye to you this morning, but I didn't want to wake you up. Also, you probably would've stopped me so I had to escape! I'm just kidding.

That was one sad attempt to cheer Misao up while the tears welled up in her eyes.

Your friend,

Soujiro

Her fingers were trembling as she held the letter. A tear soon fell and soaked up into the letter as she finished it up.

P.S.

I hope you have a wonderful life with Mr. Shinomori. Please tell him I said hello when he returns.

Misao was abviously agitated by what she had just read.

"DAMNIT SOUJIRO!" She screamed as Okina tried to calm her down.

"Misao! Calm down! He left a note at least, more than Aoshi-sama ever did before he went on those 'save the world' missions. Misao just glared.

"I. DON'T. CARE. I WANT HIM TO COME BACK! …NOW!"

She held the letter up to her face and started to sob hysterically. Okina slapped his hand to his face in disappointment as the once strong ninja had now become a blubbering baby.

"Misao!" Okina yelled with his vein pulsing under his forehead. Misao lifted her head with overflowing eyes. Her cheeks were red and her hair was ruffled. She was an absolute mess. What had Soujiro done to her?

Okina's eyes softened, he could never be harsh with his dear Misao, "We talked last night you know, me and Soujiro that is."

Her head snapped around as she asked with a stern voice, "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'TALKED?'"

Okina sent off a worried look while Misao continued to stare right through his eyes, "Well, you see," he began firmly, "he told me he was going to leave last night. I told him to leave early in the morning so you wouldn't be there to stop him. Actually I was supposed to break the news to you, it was nice of Soujiro to leave a goodbye letter, wasn't it?"

"W-what…?"

Misao's heart was about to split in two when Okina said Soujiro left early so she wouldn't be there to stop him. Did that make her the bad guy?

She slowly stood up and walked out of the room while wiping a tear away.

In the other room, Omasu, Shiro, and Kuro watched her walk past them. All three of them watched in pity as their young companion slowly trudged up the elevated wooden stairs. With every creak the stairs made, Misao only remembered more and more now sad memories.

Yet, Okon wasn't present at the moment. She was jogging throughout the streets of Kyoto with a piece of paper in her hand. She was obviously searching for the previously departed Soujiro, who she had forgotten to tell something, "Sou chan!" She practicalle sung to anyone who listened.

She finally arrived at the edge of town. She had been searching for at least a couple of hours now. The boy had disappeared from existence it seemed like! She had chased after him about ten minutes and had already lost him. She was beginning to get worried, which wasn't too common for Ms. Okon.

Little did Okon know, Soujiro was sitting on the hill in the next town over which Misao had brought him to last night during the festival. Something told him to hit the road right away, while something tugged at his heart that said to return to the Aoiya.

But his mind won over his heart, and he slowly sat up and walked down the hill. He didn't know yet how much Misao really meant to him. He couldn't really think at the moment, his mind was so muddled up that he began to wince. He was having a really hard time thinking straight.

Misao sat quietly in her room. She wasn't crying, but she just sat there reminiscing about the times she spent with her newly found friend, Soujiro.

'And while you're at it, call me Mrs. Aoshi Shinomori.'

'You're very lucky Misao.'

'I can't believe you just named a fish.'

'But at least you won something right?'

All of the memories flooded back into her mind. All she wanted was to be near Soujiro again. He was her best friend.

With that, she sprinted out of the Aoiya and ran to wherever her heart guided her. All she knew was that she wouldn't stop running until she found him.

Soujiro on the other hand couldn't think at all. With every step he took, he got more and more lost.

But that wasn't saying much since he was already a lost soul.

'The lost souls only walk until…'

But for some reason, he thought of Mr. Himura. He didn't know why, but the more he thought about it, the more his head hurt.

'…they are found but…'

Soujiro then took a rest. He sat down next to a stream that flowed next to him on his right. The sapphire waters below him rushed with a slow sound.

'…not even then are they truly recovered. But…'

He closed his eyes and leaned his head back. He took a deep breath and truly contemplated why he was worrying so much about moving on.

'sometimes there is the savior who…'

After the cool breeze gently blew against his face, he felt at ease. It reminded him of Misao, like how she could make him feel better so quickly.

'…manages to find the light which the lost soul never found…'

He smiled to himself, he really got emotionally attached to Misao. More than he ever thought he would.

'…and guides them through the mysterious road…'

He was really wishing he didn't leave.

'…called life.'

Misao…

Bask at the Aoiya, Okina was standing outside of the building. The streets were empty today, and the gentle smell of the new day was filling the old man's nostrils. He worried about Misao, which was different because usually when she goes off, he just went along with it until she'd return.

But now she was going after the Tenken. His Misao wanted the TENKEN into the Aoiya.

He admitted to himself that he hadn't been the friendliest person to Soujiro, but he couldn't bring himself to. But like he had said previously, he couldn't fully accept Soujiro into his heart. He hoped Misao could realize that too, just in case she felt more for him than she already did.

"Jiya."

Okina turned his head to his left. There stood the man who had left so long ago. His jet-black hair framed his pale face and dark eyes.

"Aoshi-sama. How was your journey?"

He was back.

'The wind, the wind, the beautiful wind. Can it heal my treacherous mind?'

Soujiro contemplated while he sat next to the water. His eyes, never blinking once, just stared up into the sky. The clouds drifted overhead slowly as the wind blew by as well.

At that moment, he realized he left Koukiji at the Aoiya. Well, it would be kind of hard to carry a fish around during his adventures. He just hoped Kou-chan would be taken care of while he wasn't there anymore.

…What if they never went into his room anymore! Koukiji would certainly die!

Soujiro's eyes grew worried as he watched some fish swim by in the stream. He thought about if he should've freed Koukiji before he left.

He kind of pictured himself in Koukiji's life. He realized they resembled each other more than they thought.

Like a captured fish, Soujiro was trapped within the walls of his mind. And like a fish, he got used to thinking a certain way wihle being confined in those walls. But if someone were to free him, like a fish would be, he wouldn't be used to it, and he would be scared and he wouldn't know what to do. Kind of like how Misao would treat him. Misao was the light in Soujiro's life that tried to break the barrier that kept him trapped. But every time he was close to finding himself, he would swim back to his bucket and live there like he always had.

But do fishes wonder what life is like outside of the walls that keep them trapped?

At that moment, Sou realized he wanted to be let go.

He wanted to be freed too.

All was peaceful until the birds were scared away by, "SOU!"

He turned around to see Misao sprinting at full speed past him. She was about forty yards away by the time Soujiro had scrambled up and called out to Soujiro as well, "Misao! Misao!"

He heard a crash noise, come cracking, and then a tree in the distance fell. He heard, "SOU!" It was kind of mumbled since she was so far away, but it was still audible.

He took a step forward but as soon as he saw her running at full speed towards him. He then took a step back and made a squeak noise while Misao tackled him, "SOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU, I HATE YOU!"

She cried and cried while she sat back. Soujiro patted himself down to remove the dust as he sat in front of her. It was kind of funny to see Misao in such a hysterical state, he boy was he happy to see her.

"Misao, I'm sorry I didn't get to say goodbye."

She peeked her face from out of her arms, "Oh shut up! Jiya told me about your whole plan yesterday! You have no idea how worried I was! I was so scared that I would never see you again!"

She threw her hands up to her sobbing eyes once again while Soujiro brought his hand to her cheek. She took a hold of it and held it close to her face, "Don't leave Sou!"

Seeing her like this broke his heart.

If he had one.

"Misao," She looked up, she was already worried about what he was going to say, "I'm leaving, I can't stay here."

The look her eyes gave made Soujiro take back every word he just said, "Wha-…what! No!"

Soujiro pulled his hand back and looked down, "Misao, I'm so sorry. But this place, I'm just overwhelmed by all of its…goodness."

She looked at him with confused eyes. But after a moment, she looked as if something clicked. She realized she was being greedy. Trying to keep Sou from going on his journey just because she was afraid of being alone. That's what she was always afraid of, being alone.

She had been beaten and she realized it too, "O-ok. You can leave…just

promise me you'll come back and visit sometime, even if it's just in passing."

Soujiro nodded with sad eyes. He knew no matter what, when he left, a part of his already torn heart would be left with Misao.

He pulled up, "I'm sorry Misao. I promise I'll come back someday. Someday soon!" Soujiro was really, really bad at making people feel good. He noticed that he could only ruin people. That's one of the reasons why he became a rurouni, so he wouldn't have to encounter people like this.

She looked up and smiled. She knew he was telling the truth, she knew she would be seeing him someday soon.

She just didn't know how soon.

Soujiro didn't even say a proper goodbye. He just smiled and then walked off. But Misao could tell it wasn't a sincere smile, so she knew he would have to come back to give her one of his heart-warming smiles. Maybe he was crying on the inside?

When Soujiro was about a mile away, he stopped walking. Even though it was bright and sunny outside, he felt like absolute crap.

"Oh Misao," he whispered, "why do I keep thinking about you?"

Poor Soujiro.

If only he was able to harbor the magic called emotions.

If only he could see.

Back at the Aoiya, Misao entered the building while wiping a tear, which had fallen down her cheek.

"Misao?"

Huh?

It was a deep voice that came from the figure standing in front of her. She looked up and saw-

"AOSHI-SAMA!" she screamed as she jumped up into his arms. He didn't exactly hug her back, but deep down inside, he was happy to see her as well. He had been away for a couple months. For a moment though, she forgot all of her worries. She had her Aoshi-sama. She thought that was all she needed.

She was happy.

Well, she thought she was happy.

She was pretty sure she was happy.

Well, then why did she feel like a chunk of her was missing?

Upstairs, a little fish kept still in its some for a bucket. It only turned around a couple times to realize it was trapped. It always knew the walls were there, but it never really thought about them. It felt the need to get out, but if it did, it knew it would be completely lost in the big world.

If only there was someone out there who could guide the little guy through the though times…

After a little while of just holding still, Shiro walked in and picked up the bucket, "Well, well little guy. Good thing we didn't leave you up here all alone!"

Then Koukiji was carried down the stairs to the kitchen where he was set down on the counter.

The point was, he wasn't yet freed from his barrier, but he was at least getting somewhere rather than staying put.

It was kind of sad really, a fish was getting further in life than Soujiro who was now walking in a direction of Tokyo. It seemed the only way he could keep from hurting was to keep walking. And that's exactly what he did, he just kept walking, walking, walking.

Walking for Misao.

Misao…

End.

Well, I thought this chapter was going to be a little more 'light-hearted.' I never really expected Soujiro to travel all the way to Tokyo and leave Misao completely. I actually planned him coming back, but I guess that's the way things go. I don't really think about what I write while I'm writing.

Aoshi is back! I don't care what anyone says! I personally think Aoshi is cool, but don't worry, I'm still full-fledged Sou/Mi fan. But just to let all y'all Aoshi haters out there know, he isn't going to get the shiz beat out of him by our Sou. I have something else in mind. And if you've been a current reader, you know I'm completely random with my plots…like the whole fish thing. Spur of the moment!

RATE AND REVIEW please. I love hearing what you have to say.

Love 'ya lots!

NaiLAUG!