When Dreams Come True

NOTE TO KRISSEL HIMURA: Thanks for the idea but I don't think I'll be using it. But thanks to you, your review and idea inspired me. See what reviews do? They make me work! Anyways thanks. I guess this chapter is kind of dedicated to you. Let's get 'em rollin'.

Yo guys, sorry for the lateness…I'm a procrastinator like that…but I'm working on it. I also had to make THIS chapter somewhat more thought out than the others…or maybe it's because summer has started. Whatever the case, I promise from now on to at least write a page a night! As long as I don't procrastinate like usual…ouch…

But you must be the reason,

And just what I need.

For every day of the season,

Perfection indeed.

That Minako.

She reminded those of the wind at night, the snow on a winter's eve, the gentle flow of the water's by the harbor, or the tall, dark trees that grew in the forest. She was different, you could tell. And yet, she had a sense about her that always brought you back home.

But what was up with that woman? She had a certain vibe to her that drew others away and pulled even more people closer to her. She could tell you something and mean something else, she could give you one look and make you feel bad. She perfected everything about herself, her looks, her beauty, her voice, her everything. And she had it all too. She came from a long line of wealthy government officials that held a certain power over everybody.

But Minako, she had given all that up.

And for what? For a restaurant and a fallen warrior? That hardly seemed like any type of fair trade. Why was she doing this? She could've done so much better. She could've been everything and everything again. Was it really for love? Was the love worth it? Could Aoshi make up for the things Minako had lost? Her everything?

Minako, why are you so…

…you?

Chapter sixteen – Why and Who He Is

They stood there in silence for a while. He didn't know why, but Soujiro went along with it. But Misao on the other hand, she was freaking out!

'Did he…? He did…! When…? WHAT?'

Well as you can see, Misao was confused.

But the one thought that stuck out the most was the one that said, 'It wasn't Aoshi.'

When finally her thoughts died on that one, she lowered her head. She was right, it wasn't Aoshi. She had waited forever for him to be her first. She also planned exactly what her reaction would be but all of it was ruined now! She didn't have him. She never would at this rate.

"Is something the matter Misao?"

Of course something's wrong you dope!

But she didn't say anything. She was too intimidated. Too scared. Soujiro didn't seem to have a sense in the world about what he had just done. But since he had done it…he was breaking her heart.

"Misao?"

She picked her head up, she was a little pissed now.

"You don't look too good. Do you want to come inside so you can warm up?"

Her fists began to shake until, "No! Don't come near me! I never want to speak with you again!"

With that, she sprinted into the Aoiya with a trail of dirt clouds following behind her. And Soujiro was left there standing alone and confused. What had just happened?

Well, Soujiro was pretty sure that he had just kissed her but he thought she'd like it! Or at least be normal about it.

The funny thing was that he felt ecstatic. He couldn't' control himself. He felt like jumping up and down! He had finally gained enough courage to do so, and he did it! And it felt great. He felt that he couldn't have timed it more perfectly too. The sun was setting perfectly in the west, the birds were flying just overhead, everything…everything was just right.

But one thing wasn't.

The fact that Misao had ran off. Honestly Soujiro was feeling way too good to feel the side effects of her running off. But sadly, now it was kicking in.

The jumpy feeling was gone, he no longer was ecstatic. The smile was well torn from her face. He rubbed his eye and walked back indoor. As soon as he entered, Minako and Okon were waiting for him.

His attempt was pathetic as the woman charged at him.

No words were spoken as the two fierce women grabbed him by the arms and pulled him back outside to the bench across the street. They sat him down and each of them held their hands on their hips and stared hard down at him.

"What," Okon began, "did you do to Misao?"

His face really was the thing that answered their question as Okon became angrier, "Let me repeat myself dear boy, WHAT DID YOU DO TO MISAO?"

Soujiro shrunk a few sizes while Okon continued to fume and Minako sat down next to him, "Now Sou," she said in a gentle tone, "we saw Misao run through the halls and up the stairs crying. Was it you who made her do so?"

He looked back and forth between the two. What had he done? He didn't think he did anything wrong. Right?

"I'm not sure."

Okon smacked her face with the palm of her hand, "Are you kidding me? You were the only one with her before she ran into the building with tears running down her face and yes, I saw it firsthand!" She would've gone on if it weren't for Jiya and Kuro standing outside on the porch.

"Misao's in her room now…what happened," Jita ordered as Okon and Minako parted so they could show the utterly confused Soujiro to the elder man.

That was all the answer he needed.

"You…you!" Jiya shouted as Kuro grabbed his arms from behind, "You did this to Misao! How dare you! I oughta…I oughta…ahem…you can let go of me now Kuro."

Kuro released the old man as Jiya regained his composure. He rubbed his wrists a little and walked up gracefully to Soujiro who was now, scared beyond all reason, "You see Mr. Seta, I don't have that much more time on this planet," he opened one eye to see Okon, Minako, and Kuro all staring at him horrifically, "Well you know it's true!"

"As I was saying," Jiya continued, "throughout the rest of my life, I just want Misao to be happy. When she hurts, I feel just a bit of her pain. But that bit is enough to make me hurt with her. For her sake and mine as well, if you're going to play with her heart, don't play with her heart…especially now."

"Why now?" Soujiro asked as the bad feeling began to sink in.

"Because," Jiya sighed while scratching the back of his head, "of Minako."

Soujiro looked over to Minako who was now looking a little sad. Sou knew Misao liked Minako and even looked up to her a bit. He now understood why Minako felt guilty for being herself. It wasn't exactly that she wasn't a good role model, it was more along the lines of feeling as though she let someone down.

Misao, for instance.

"Oh, I see."

Everyone stood in silence for a while until Kuro suggested that everyone should go inside.

But after everyone was gone, Minako pulled Soujiro to the side, "This isn't on you but some people are expecting great things out of you. I cannot say whom or what but all I can say is you can always walk the other direction if the first one gets too hard."

Then she left on that note and everyone went to bed.

But Soujiro wasn't exactly having the best sleep in the world. Nightmares kept bothering him. But there was one dream that stuck out the most.

He was just standing out in the open…on a boat.

He was standing out in the open on a boat in the water!

He stumbled around and fell onto his rear. As he looked around, he discovered there was nothing around him. There weren't any islands, any other boats, or any people. It was actually kind of scary because he had never been to the ocean. He hadn't even seen the ocean before. Did he even know what it was?

Um, no…

He sat there for a while and stared out into the distance. It was actually quite beautiful, but he couldn't get his mind off of Misao and what he did to her.

Was it really that bad? I mean, he felt something…something was there.

There was something that made him do what he did.

So he did it. But she didn't like it.

Why was this so confusing?

He thought that not having emotions was a good thing so he kept doing what he was doing. Then he was told he was wrong, so he tried to change.

But now that he was trying, he was finding that it was getting harder and harder to continue having them. He wondered, sometimes, how people could have them since they were little children. Was it that people learned to cope with them as they grew up? Or maybe it wasn't a thing you learned to have, maybe it was something that you were just born with.

He was different, wasn't he?

He sat on the bench of the boat for quite some time. The sea breeze brushed gently across his face while the birds above him cawed with anticipation. He couldn't help but notice the dark clouds overhead roll in.

The thunder above him clapped as the raindrops began to fall. They sprinkled on his face while he sat up and looked around him. The ocean waves began to climb up and down and the boat Soujiro was in began to float along with it.

As the waves began to get higher and higher Soujiro became more and more frightened. The thunder sounded as the waves began to get choppy. He searched his surroundings for any sign of relief, but sadly none came.

Finally, one huge wave came and finally toppled the boat over.

With that, Soujiro awoke in a cold sweat.

It was strange the dream hadn't been all that scary. But something…something urged him to move.

So we sat up and walked downstairs in the shadows. He felt his way around until he reached the kitchen that was lit up because the moon was shining through an open window.

After he adjusted to the darkness, he looked around only to find a familiar bucket, which contained his fishy friend. Soujiro walked over to the counter that the bucket rested on and gazed down into the shallow waters to take a peek at Koukiji…

…huh?

Koukiji was gone! Even though it was dark, he could still have made out the shape of his pet if it were there in the first place. Soujiro then looked around on the counter to ckeck if his friend had fallen out. After finding nothing, he got on all fours and brought the bucket down with him so he could search for Koukiji just a little more. He felt around on the ground until he heard something.

It was barely loud enough to be called a noise, but it was still there…

…plop…

If only it were lighter out!

As soon as Soujiro thought that, he saw a light come from the staircase. It gradually got larger as it got closer to him. He picked up his head while still on his hands and knees. The light stopped and there in the doorframe stood a groggy-looking Misao while holding a lit candle.

"O-oh hello Misao…good morning?"

She gave him a funny look and asked, "Why are you crawling around on the ground? Did you drop something?"

He looked around while replying, "I think Koukiji jumped out of his bucket…can I borrow your candle…?"

She gave him one more, funny look before taking a step towards him and handing him the candle, yet still keeping her distance away from him.

It was a little awkward, just them two being together…in the dark…together…did I mention they couldn't see anything? She stood there and watched him crawl around as her eyes darted left and right while helping him look for his beloved fish. She finally heard an, aha! And then she heard the noise of something being dropped into the water.

"You found him?"

He stood up with the candle and the bucket in hand and nodded, "Lucky he's still alive too…and thanks for the candle! He wouldn't made it without you."

He smiled and she darted her attention away from him as she blushed. She couldn't get that stupid smile out of her mind…

…stupid smile.

It was all his fault…everything was his fault! All these things she was feeling. It was all supposed to be saved for Aoshi. Only Aoshi could make her feel that way! Only Aoshi…only him.

Soujiro, on the other hand, was picking up Misao's bad vibe. Maybe it was the sad look she was giving, or maybe it was the way she held herself. All he knew was that he felt bad. He really screwed up didn't he?

They stood there in silence for a while. But then Soujiro released the only words that could make Misao feel bad.

"I'm sorry I'm not Mr. Shinomori."

She stared into his eyes for a while…it hurt her to see what was there.

But he really was sorry. He felt so bad for making her feel the way she did…to make her feel uncomfortable.

She gazed up at him for just a few moments more before he gave a weak smile and lowered his head as he walked past her. He just wanted to make her happy…to see her smile? That's all he wanted. He just didn't know how hard it would be to accomplish it.

He walked past her and headed for the stairs. But before he could get there, he felt some sort of pressure on his back. He turned his head to see what it was, and it turned out to be Misao's head.

"Misao?" he asked but with no avail. But after a few moments, he felt a shuddering…was she crying?

"Misao, are you alright?"

After another few seconds she replied in a muffled tone, "Don't go Sou…" he stayed silent for a little while longer as she continued, "Don't be sorry that you aren't Aoshi…I wouldn't want it any other way…"

He glanced back at her once more feeling horrible for making her cry. He didn't want her to feel bad. He truly was sorry. He always knew she preferred Mr. Shinomori over himself. He turned his head back forward and stared back down to the ground…what else could he do wrong now?

And why was the world spinning to him? Well, it wasn't actually spinning, it just felt like it was. His heart was beating faster and his face began to grow a little warmer. It was like he was uncomfortable…but in a good way?

He then felt her pull away from his back.

"And besides…" Misao went on, "I think I…I sort of liked it…"

Soujiro's eyes widened…did he just hear what he thought he heard?

He turned around to see a tearful Misao standing there. She looked so small and so fragile…but she also looked larger than life.

"I just…I just thought I wanted Aoshi to be the one. I thought I…knew that I wanted."

She glanced over to the side while Soujiro took a step towards her as she went on, "But as the minutes passed I know now what I want and what's best for me." She then looked up into his eyes and finally said, "I think you're the one I might fall in love with."

Love?

Love?

Love.

It was a pity Souijro couldn't quite yet comprehend that word. But he did understand the word 'might.' And that's all he needed to know.

He then pulled Misao by her arms to him so that he could hold her close. It seemed as if he felt better when she was close to him. It felt like a hole of some sort was being filled. Something in his heart had lit up…something that needed to be fed.

And at the top of the stairs, Minako and Okon laid on their stomachs as they watched the scene before them. They turned their faces to each other and smiled. And as they turned back to see the couple standing in front of them, Minako sent a thumbs up towards the little fish in the bucket. Koukiji just swam around happily in the confines of the wooden bucket.

Was it…planned?

The next morning came…

It was strange really, the feeling in Soujiro's stomach. He felt exited for the new day.

He especially was exited to see Misao.

He got dressed and hopped down the stairs. As soon as he reached the bottom, he entered the kitchen only to find utter mayhem. Not only did it look like some kind of cow had exploded, there was this awful smell as well to go with it.

"What happened here?"

Shiro, Kuro, and Omasu were scrubbing the walls and floor while Okon was washing her face off.

That's when Kuro spoke up, "Well, we were having a hard time cutting this cow up…so smart old Shiro thought it would be smart to stick in a little gun powder in the cow's neck and light it on fire."

Shiro shrugged as Okon finished off Kuro's statement, "And the idiot did it behind our back since we told him not to! And now we don't have any beef to cook for the next few days!"

Shiro chuckled a little as he replied, "Well there's a little meat left…"

"SHUT UP!" Kuro and Okon yelled at the same time.

Just then, Misao ran into the room but also stopped abruptly as she clamped her hands over her nose, "GAH! What died in here?"

"A cow exploded," Omasu spoke up as she turned from the far wall.

Misao turned to Soujiro with a confused look and all he could do was shrug.

Just then, Minako walked into the room and asked, "If you need some groceries for tonight, I can go get some."

Omasu looked up at Minako, "Could you Minako-sama? That would be wonderful…but you'd only need to get some produce. A few carrots and stalks of celery."

Minako smiled and turned to leave…until she fell, "Oh, my ankle!"

Misao ran to her side and checked on her, "Are you alright Mina-kun?"

"I think so," she whimpered as Omasu took a peek at her ankle, "It doesn't look swollen to m-HEY!" she cried out as Minako nudged her stomach a little with her extended foot.

"Ooh! It hurts!"

Everyone looked at her ankle as if trying to figure out what was wrong with it. And while no one was looking, Minako looked at Okon as a signal, "Oh no!" Okon sighed, "Who'll go buy the groceries now?" she asked as she stepped forward.

Omasu stood up and said, "Oh, I'll go-AHH!" she cried as Okon pushed her over.

"As I was saying…Oh no! Who will go?"

She looked right at Misao as she was finished with her complaint. Misao caught this and hopped up, "Oh! I'll go if you want me to!"

Okon smirked as Misao turned to leave, but the stopped her shortly, "Oh but wait Mii-chan! I've heard there are hoodlums out and about attacking young maidens around your age. Shouldn't you bring some protection?"

Misao stared at her for a while trying to understand the situation.

Okon, noticing Misao hadn't answered her yet began to get a little on edge, "Protection as in someone to save you if ever such an event is to happen?"

She just stared a little more.

"Soujiro?" Okon asked.

"Yes?"

"GO WITH MISAO."

Misao protested though, "I can save myself! I'm capable! I'm a ninja-aahhH!"

Then Minako pushed them out of the building.

"I THOUGHT YOUR ANKLE WAS HURTING!"

Minako just stared at them for a while until she collapsed onto the ground while grasping her ankle and whimpering to herself.

Misao rolled her eyes as she began walking off. Soujiro watched Okon pull Minako in while Omasu glared at the two in the background with flaring eyes.

Soujiro winced and then trotted after Misao.

They didn't talk much during their trip to the shops since it was, you know, a little awkward. But Soujiro did try to bring up a little small talk.

"So, did you have a pleasant sleep?"

She nodded, "Yup."

Crap. He was struggling.

"Um…"

"Sou?"

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to force yourself to talk to me if you don't want to."

"Oh ok…wait."

He turned his head to face her, "I do want to talk to you though!"

She turned her head too and smiled as he went on, "I just don't know what to talk to you about…"

She giggled, "You don't always have to talk you know…"

He stared at her for a little while longer before turning back. For some strange reason, he wanted to hold hands with her…just for a second.

As they continued walking, he took a step closer to her and entwined his fingers in hers. She looked down after being a little astonished. But after realizing what he was doing, she smiled and took a step closer to him as well.

Their walk went the same way until they reached the market. Little did they know, a pair of eyes were watching them for part of the time, and soon followed the path they took and headed towards the Aoiya.

When Misao and Soujiro arrived at the market, it was quite nerve-racking. Apparently, Misao had many friends who went to the market. And it was even more frightening when they would walk up to her and congratulate her of Soujiro. But it was a little hurtful to hear them whisper, loud enough for Soujiro to hear, about why she wasn't with Aoshi.

But it all didn't seem to matter once Misao and Soujiro got away from them. She giggled and pulled him aside and told him, "Don't pay attention to them."

Soujiro didn't really know the word competition for these circumstances.

It was different.

It was…

…what was the word?

"They're just jealous of me!"

Love?

Love?

Love.

It was beginning to become clearer now…

She gave him a peck on the cheek and pulled him along with her.

It was amazing. No doubt in anyone's mind thought that he was stronger than Misao but now he felt so weak, so insignificant compared to her.

"What should we buy Kuro and them?"

"They said they just needed vegetables, right?"

"Right."

"…So, where do we go?"

"This way!"

She ran down an alleyway and pulled him with her. As they popped out the other side, they entered an even busier part of town. As they wormed their way through the crowd, they finally arrived at their destination, the produce section of the market.

They spent a good hour there just looking around and having a good time. But when they began their journey home, and the Aoiya came into perspective, there was a person standing in front of the building. As they neared the Aoiya, The person turned out to be, "Kamatari!"

Kamatari looked over to Soujiro and smiled, "Well hello there Souji-chan! How are you?"

Soujiro stared at his friend who he hadn't seen for a few months.

"K-kamatari! What are you doing here?" Soujiro beckoned nervously as he realized the trouble the former Jupongatana member could cause simply from being there. But what did Kamatari want anyways?

He gave Soujiro one of 'his' smiles and asked while glancing at Misao, "Well, I was wondering if I could speak to you in private."

The two looked at each other before Misao looked back at Kamatari and replied, "Fine."

As Misao passed him, the gender confused friend smiled and a way that Soujiro had recalled over a year ago. Something was wrong. Something was going to happen. And he could tell it wouldn't be welcomed.

Misao entered the building and looked around. No one was there, "Hello?" she called out, but no one answered her back. She climbed up the stairs and looked in each of the rooms upstairs until she reached Minako's room. There did she not only find Minako, but every member that resided in the Aoiya building was there as well. They stared out the window down to Soujiro and Kamatari but quickly turned around as they heard Misao say, "What are you guys doing?"

Jiya was the first to turn around as he ranup to Misao and grabbed her by the shoulders, "Did he do anything to you?" She quickly shook her head as he released her.

"Are you spying on them?" she asked to clarify.

"He came by and asked for Soujiro," Shiro said, "Something must be up."

Misao chuckled nervously as she asked, "What can Sou do? He wouodn't do anything-,"

"Irrational? You never know Misao."

She shook her head in defiance as Omasu watched her with sad eyes, "What are you talking about Jiya? You've known him for three months now! You know him!"

"We also know he was the Tenken," Aoshi retorted as he stepped forward. And just before Misao was about to go on, he continued, "You know what kind of killer he was. And you know how unstable he still is."

Minako stared at him in disbelief recalling their conversation they had earlier.

Misao stared at him too and shouted, "Are you kidding me?"

Aoshi glared at her, "Misao you know it don't you? You can't change a person just like that."

Just then, Omasu stepped in front of Misao and stared him directly in his eyes, "Aoshi, I cannot believe you. I mean, one of the biggest reasons that Soujiro can't be what he wants to be or do what he wants to do is because people like you are always reminding him of the past! Let it go Aoshi! It might seem like a big chunk of his life but you have to have some faith in him!"

Aoshi just stared at her. No emotion appeared on his face.

"She's right you know," Okon stepped forward, "You can't fully accept your future unless you fully accept your past."

Misao looked at all of them, "See Aoshi! People can change! HE can change!"

She huffed and stormed off to her own room as Aoshi watched her go. He couldn't let go of what Soujiro did.

But, wouldn't that mean that he could ever move forward?

But back down with Kama-sama and Souji-chan…

"Souji-chan, you know how I've been working undercover for the police force…"

Soujiro nodded, not knowing where the conversation was leading.

"Well," Kamatari began as if not knowing where to continue, "let's just say…I have a job for you."

"What do mean job? What kind of a job?"

Kamatari scratched his head, "Well, I can say that it includes your special talents…"

Soujiro took a step back defensively, "No Kamatari! Are you talking about my Shukuchi?"

The other man shrugged, "Well, yeah. Your talents are in big demand for jobs such as the one I have for you. And it's doing what did too so it's not difficult or anything. And plus, it's not a bad thing anymore! If you just work for the police force-,"

"What? No!" Soujiro exclaimed, "I promised to myself I'd never kill again! I told myself I'd go on a journey and I'd be normal after!"

"Normal?" Kamatari asked with a tone, "Normal? You must be kidding me Souji. You'll never be normal as long as you can run around like that. But now your abnormalities can be used for justice! Come on Sou! Using our assassin techniques for good and not being chased after! That's the life Souji! That's the life…"

Soujiro looked at the ground, "But I'm happy here. I…I know who I am now."

Kamatari looked shocked, "You mean HER? You think you're happy because of her? Happiness doesn't come in a shape or form sonny."

"Wasn't it you," Soujiro began, "who tried to explain to me what love was? As a matter of fact, I think I may have-,"

"NO! Goddamn Soujiro. Your love is your sword! And doesn't that chick have the hots for the leader of the Oniwaban?"

Soujiro hadn't really thought of that…actually he kind of forgot about it.

"N-no…"

Kamatari smacked his head, "Aw I'm sorry Souji-chan. I didn't mean to squash all of your hopes and dreams…"

Soujiro looked down. Maybe he really was just a substitute in her heart. Maybe he was just-

"No. I'm sorry. I can't."

Kamatari looked shocked for a while before he shrugged once more, "Your loss."

He walked past Soujiro and began to head down the street, "But," he stopped for a moment and turned around, "If ever you find yourself in a pickle, come to this building and say you're a friend of mine," he stated as he handed Soujiro a piece of paper, "They'd be…ecstatic to see you."

He then walked off into the distance.

Soujiro then glanced at the piece of paper and thought of throwing it away. But instead, he tucked it in his pocket and retreated to the Aoiya.

End.

Well, well, well. Long time no see! All I can say is that I was working on something else, and I had writer's block. Also known as me being a lazy ass. But anyways, I hope you enjoy this installment of When Dreams Come True and hang in there. Short note today but I'll see y'all later. Look out for Finding After by sangPakko. Don't ask who she is just watch.

Ttyl!

NaiLAUG!