Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker, Shinsengumi or Star Trek Voyager
Timeline: An Aoshi/Misao story set in canon approximately three years after the Jinchuu Arc
Steal the old Man's Bundle: this card game is simple it is played with a regular deck of cards however you need at least one complete deck per player. The object of the game is to be the player with the largest stack of cards when there are no more cards to draw. In order to begin stacking cards you must have two cards of the same suit. For example: if you have two queen of hearts you put them together face up in front of you, if you have two 3 of spades you can stack them on top of those on your next turn and so on. The twist comes this way: if another player happens to have a card that matches exactly the card on the top of your pile that player can take your pile and add it to the top of his/her pile on their turn.
Any questions about this game just email me:
Shinsengumi cast :
Keisuke Yamanami – Vice-commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)
Akesato (Ozusu) – Yamanami's girlfriend
Shuhei Kondo – member 6th squad aka Shuhei Tani
Kuwajiro Oishi – member 3rd squad
Shinpachi Nagakura – leader 2nd squad
Hajime Saito – leader 3rd squad aka Goro Fujita
Sanosuke Harada – leader 10th squad aka Sano Mazaki
Kai Shimada – member 6th squad
Gensaburo Inoue – leader 6th squad (deceased)
Susumu Yamazaki – spy (deceased)
Soji Okita – leader 1st squad (deceased)
Isami Kondo (Katsuta Shimazaki – Commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)
Tsune Kondo – widow
Yuki Dayu – Kyoto mistress (deceased)
Toshizo Hijikata – Vice commander of the Shinsengumi (deceased)
Part 4: All I ask of You…
Aoshi opened the door to his room and headed towards the training room. On his way he saw Kuro and Shiro repairing shingles on the roof and stopped to offer his assistance. They cheerfully accepted so they could get done before dark. His ninja agility allowed him to climb up to the roof in an instant. He took the proffered hammer from Shiro.
"Hey Aoshi, I thought you were getting off at noon. Did you stop to talk to Saito?" Shiro asked, he sounded a bit worried. Aoshi nodded as he joined his crew and began working
"So what did he say? Is Leader gonna get in trouble for what happened yesterday at the base?" Kuro asked, he sounded just as worried. Aoshi looked up and shook his head
"No! Saito took care of everything…" Aoshi replied going back to his portion of the job then told them what happened at Saito's office, his meeting Col. Watts and what Saito made Col. Watts agree to so the foreigner could save face. The other two men laughed, they were glad Misao wouldn't endure any punishments and thoroughly relished the thought of Watts getting taken down a couple of pegs by their little Okashira.
To his surprise, Aoshi found himself laughing with them! It felt good to be able to connect to Kuro and Shiro. It felt good to have friends again, people he could relate to. It felt really good to not be feared by them and a warm sensation spread across his chest as he realized that he owed it all to Misao. It was staggering to think how hard she'd been working to reconnect him to the Oniwaban and how subtle she'd been.
'Perhaps I'm just losing my touch…' he thought feeling oddly amused by that thought. But it had been her idea to have Mrs. Kate teach him poker and it had been her idea to invite Kuro and Shiro to that training session. The three of them had been completely hooked on the game and they'd been making it an almost weekly ritual to play for almost two years.
They had tried to get Okina to play but the old goat was too old fashioned and preferred to play Go with his older friends. He would occasionally join but only when Mrs. Kate was in town and only at her request. But often he would invite her to his Go games and she would accept leaving the younger generation to their games.
Misao would always come to watch them play. She would come bearing snacks and she'd lay on her stomach with her chin resting on her hands cheerfully humming a little tune and cheering for the winner and with increasing regularity Okon and Omasu would show up to do the same and even join the game sometimes.
Okon could be quite the card shark! Aoshi had tried to talk Misao into playing but she constantly refused saying she was no good at bluffing. To remedy the situation Mrs. Kate had taught Misao a crazy little game called "Steal the old man's bundle" and at that game she was unbeatable! It's asif the word "steal" set off a whole range of abilities in her previously unknown to him. She was a very clever and unstoppable thief!
He looked forward to the weekly games and he was amazed on how such a simple thing had been the means by which he had regained the trust and companionship of the others. But that was just the way Misao did things, a small action with dramatic results. He didn't mind losing some of his small change occasionally to Okon and he liked seeing the sneaky smile on Misao's face when she was plotting to take your bundle. You could try to protect your cards but sooner or later she would take them!
Aoshi realized with a start that he often strove to win so that Misao would cheer for him. He shook the thought away. He wasn't going to follow that line of reasoning; he made a promise to Lord Makimachi and he was going to keep it! Which brought again the matter of Shuhei to mind, shaking away his contentment.
"Does either of you know much about Mr. Tani?" he asked keeping his tone even and not looking up from where he was working. They just shrugged, to Aoshi's relief neither seemed to find the question out of place
"He's a nice guy! I think he's got a crush on our Leader though," Kuro replied non-chalantly thinking 'well at least Aoshi's finally noticed I just hope he's planning to do something about it!'
"You think so too, Shiro?" Aoshi asked trying to keep his tone bland and again the guys didn't seem to notice anything odd about his questions. He didn't like Kuro's answer…
"Oh yeah, definitely! Think about it, why would a guy as rich as he is always want to stay here? He's got enough money to keep a nice house both here in Kyoto and in Tokyo but instead he stays here and the first thing he does when he walks in is ask for Misao," Shiro responded simply as he thought 'boy it's about time he got a clue!'
"Do you know if she's noticed?" Aoshi asked calmly. His mind had suddenly become focused on his target. He was on a mission now: Eliminate Shuhei Kondo!
"Who Misao? No way! She's completely oblivious!" Kuro informed him sounding a bit amused. Outwardly, Aoshi's face remained impassive but inwardly he raged! It was just as he'd thought: hungry old wolf, innocent young lamb. His mind quickly began to formulate various plans for making this Mr. Tani's last visit to the Aoiya, however most of them involved the use of his kodachi and he completely rejected them because they would cause Misao emotionalharm and he had promised Kenshin he would try not to kill needlessly.
"When it comes to that sort of thing Misao is completely innocent, she believes from the bottom of her heart that anyone who's nice to her just wants to be her friend!" Shiro explained shaking his head
"But come on Aoshi! We're guys! We know better right!" Kuro added with a hint of sarcasm in his tone as he thought: 'Alright! He's got his game face on! Ok now let's see what you're gonna do about it Aoshi!'
"True…" Aoshi replied in his usual neutral tone, though now it took all of his self-control to keep his rage in check. He was well aware of the games of cat and mouse men played with women but he had never indulged in such ridiculous pastimes. He had never seen either the purpose or the need for them. That Shuhei was involving Misao in such a situation was insulting and he had to put a stop to it before she noticed because it would cause a disruption upon her perfectly innocent and cheerful world.
"But you know he has been extremely polite and respectful and if he ever crosses the line…" Shiro laughed, "well, just ask Kaiba!" both men laughed then suddenly turned serious
"Speaking of Kaiba…man, I can't believe you went to kick his ass and didn't take us!" Kuro objected resentfully. Aoshi did a double take, 'how in the world did he know that!' he thought caught completely off guard, 'I was sure I'd lost whoever was following me…' he reasoned, 'there's only one possible explanation, Kaiba must've squealed,' he concluded
"Dude, it's not cool! We wanted to kick his ass too! Or at least watch you kick his ass! No fair!" Shiro sulked.
"Has anyone from the Kaiba family been here to bother anyone?" Aoshi asked icily already planning to make good on the promises he made Kaiba.
"Naw, heard Omasu talking about it, she was the one that followed 'ya!" Kuro replied, "but how I wish you'd taken us with you!" he moped but hoped Aoshi wouldn't ask him why she was talking about it. Aoshi nodded impressed by Omasu's skill, Hannya taught her well.
"Well, I apologize for not taking either of you but Okina did forbid both of you from going near the Kaiba estate, I assumed you wouldn't have been happy if I had just let the matter drop, would you?" Aoshi countered thinking fast. The truth was he had been so enraged that night that he couldn't sleep so he'd snuck out and took his revenge. It was comforting to know he would've had backup if he'd wanted it and that they wouldn't have asked him to explain anything.
"Well no," Shiro admitted grudgingly, "but next time you gotta let us in on the plan, ok!" he added sternly. Aoshi nodded solemnly
"Wish I'd been there! Whatever you did to Kaiba worked like a charm! Nobody's seen hide nor hair of him since!" Kuro complimented. Aoshi smirked
"I broke his hands…" he replied calmly and the two men broke into hysterical laughter. Yeah, it felt good to connect with Shiro and Kuro; it was almost as good as having them back. Curiously, he thought he could hear their laughter too, Hannya's above all. He shook his head and he contentedly continued his work and decided to share some of the things he'd learned this afternoon while having lunch with the Shinsengumi.
They were both pleased that Misao had made such a big impression on the men of the Shinsengumi. They were extremely pleased by Saito's compliments and grateful of his efforts to protect their leader. They laughed at the comparisons between Okita and Misao and they agreed with Aoshi's opinion that Hannya would've most definitely aided and abetted any number of pranks instigated by them. The three were having such a good time that their work was finished quickly.
The roof work had been just the medicine he needed to clear his mind. He determined he wouldn't need to go to the training hall anymore and decided to just wash up, change and wait for Misao to return from Sakura's place.
'Maybe I'll work on that new language Mrs. Kate and I started on,' he thought deciding that he would check to see if his teacher would be up for a Portuguese lesson today. Aoshi listened to the guys chatter amicably as they headed towards the well when an irritatingly familiar voice piped up behind them. His jaw clenched tightly in anger for a second, he felt as though his private sanctuary had been violated.
'It's him! He's back!' he raged inwardly as he schooled his features back into their usual neutral expression then turned to meet him.
"Hey there! I was looking for you guys!" Shuhei greeted amicably and cheerfully approached the three men.
"Us?" Kuro asked sounding a little confused exchanging a puzzled glance with Shiro. Shuhei smiled as Aoshi looked on from behind Kuro and Shiro, his stoic façade firmly in place. Shuhei explained about the party that was still in progress at the Otafuku (Harada's Shop) and asked Kuro and Shiro if they would come and teach the others the game they taught Nagakura last night.
"Sure!" Shiro accepted cheerfully. Aoshi was not surprised by his response. Shiro and Kuro were always on the look out for new poker initiates. He had rather enjoyed that time when the two of them had thoroughly trounced Kenshin. For someone who was supposed to be an expert at reading opponents, Kenshin turned out to be a horrendous card player and an even worst gambler.
"Sounds like fun!" Kuro agreed smiling cheerfully 'Yeah! Fresh meat for the grinder!' he thought gleefully though he was sure he'll end up losing whatever he wins to Aoshi in their game next week
"Mr. Aoshi would you care to return as well and play a few hands with us?" Shiro invited cordially. Aoshi shook his head
"Thank you but no. I would prefer to remain until my Okashira returns," Aoshi replied neutrally. Shuhei frowned
"Ms. Misao isn't here?" he asked clearly disappointed
"Nope!" Shiro answered without elaborating sensing that Aoshi would get pissed off if he did, "anyway, we'll go change and get our stuff and we'll go with you!" he continued trying to veer the subject away from their little Okashira. Kuro nodded cheerfully and the two hurried off to find themselves a spot where they could spy on the two men
"Well, have a good game," Aoshi offered politely turning away and deciding to go to the training hall after all.
"Mr. Aoshi, wait please! May I have a minute of your time?" Shuhei asked solemnly, the shift in his demeanor made Aoshi think of Kenshin suddenly and put him on his guard. Aoshi turned back and with his arms across his chest he nodded.
"I think we got off on the wrong foot this afternoon Mr. Aoshi," Shuhei began diplomatically undisturbed by Aoshi's imposing figure and ice cold glares.
"You think so?" Aoshi countered sarcastically as he glared down at the shorter man, he was probably about Kenshin's height. He had to admit Shuhei's boldness despite the fact that his pack wasn't here to back him up had him impressed. He would not be so easily intimidated, 'but perhaps I should expect no less of the son of Kondo,' he mused warily.
"We didn't mean any disrespect towards Ms. Misao, it's the furthest thing from my mind I assure you," Shuhei began grimly
"Then you shouldn't be discussing a woman's private affairs without her presence or consent," Aoshi retorted glaring at Shuhei the man stood his ground unflinchingly
"Agreed," he replied solemnly 'I don't scare that easy Mr. Aoshi! I withstood Commander Hijikata's scary glares I can take yours!' he thought wondering what his father would say in this situation. He would probably tell him to stand his ground and fight then cheer for him the whole way!
"You should know Mr. Shuhei that this applies especially to my Okashira, it is my duty to protect her," Aoshi replied icily starting to feel as though he had the upper hand.
"So I noticed," Shuhei agreed courteously, "and despite the fact that so far we've agreed you're still treating me like I'm a threat! If you're worried that I might harm Ms. Misao, don't be because that is not my intention," he explained seriously noticing that Aoshi was the only one in the Aoiya that referred to Misao as "my Okashira". He made note of the fact that he was always emphasizing the word "my"!
"Then what is your intention, Mr. Shuhei?" Aoshi asked bluntly, using a considerable amount of effort to keep his tone bland though Shuhei still managed to read his anger
'Oh, so it's like that, eh?' Shuhei thought shrewdly, 'ok bluntly it is Mr. Aoshi! If you want Ms. Misao too then get in line!' he thought his heart hammering with excitement, Aoshi's anger meant he was finally getting closer.
"I'm sorry I suppose I never have made that clear, have I?" Shuhei began; "to earn Ms. Misao's affections!" he stated fiercely challenge clearly glowing in his eyes, glad to finally step out of the shadow that he'd been waiting in. It was finally time to act!
'So the wolf bears his fangs, huh?' Aoshi seethed "Well, I see but don't you think my Okashira is too far out of your age range Mr. Shuhei," Aoshi responded calmly though the argument sounded extremely weak to him as soon as it left his mouth.
Shuhei smirked triumphantly; he was prepared for that argument! Kuwajiro had been hung up on that excuse too and in the end he lost any chance he might have had with Ms. Kamiya to someone older even than him. After all the Battousai was two years older than both Shuhei and Kuwajiro! He wasn't going to make the same mistake.
"And yet you find her mature enough to call her Okashira?" Shuhei countered craftily.
"I was Okashira much younger than her, I don't see how that is relevant to this situation!" Aoshi rejoined weakly and cursed himself for not being able to come up with a stronger counter point.
"Ok then let me put it this way: Would you rather see her with one of those lame-brained weaklings who strut about thinking that Ms. Misao is just some wild horse that needs to be tamed?" Shuhei challenged with a slight note of anger in his tone,
"Don't you think she deserves better than those fools who'll never be able to fully appreciate the wonderful person that she is!" Aoshi was struck speechless. He shook his head slightly, struggling to find something to counter Shuhei's perfect comeback with. Shuhei struck again quickly before Aoshi could recover.
"My father taught me that a person's age or background are not as important as what is in their heart! This afternoon when I told Ms. Misao who my father was she didn't even flinch! Do you know how rare that is?" he paused but not long enough to give Aoshi a chance to rejoin
"Most of the time when I tell someone who my father was they can't get away from me fast enough! But knowing who I am didn't change Ms. Misao's attitude towards me one bit!" He paused again for a moment to catch his breath but pounced again quickly, not wanting to give Aoshi any room to recover.
"She's never judged me by my background so how could I possibly judge her according to her age! To do so would be a terrible injustice towards her and it would be hypocrisy on my part! As I said before, Ms. Misao is a rare and beautiful person, if all that I achieve is to earn her respect and her friendship then it'll still be worth every effort I've made so far! I have no regrets," he stated firmly as he continued to pound Aoshi with the only weapon he possessed, the truth!
"You see for a man like me, a demon and a wolf, meeting someone as forgiving and accepting as her is a rare and precious gift. If I have even the smallest of chances I'm not going to let it pass me by!" he declared fervently
"So I give you my word that no harm will come to her, not from me or anyone around me!" Shuhei concluded his impassioned defense with a deep bow and politely excused himself to go change, leaving Aoshi alone with his thoughts. It took Aoshi a great deal of self-control to keep from reaching out and throttling Shuhei, he was a sore loser after all. He turned on his heel and stalked off towards the training hall.
…From the roof of the Aoiya Shiro and Kuro shook their heads. It's a sad day in the Oniwaban when a ninja loses a battle. For Kuro it was doubly so!
"Alright Kuro pay up!" Shiro declared ruefully. Betting on Aoshi wasn't a good bet yet and Shiro was the better gambler of the two.
"You know I really hate the fact that he's so stubborn!" Kuro replied as he pulled a couple of coins out of his pocket and handed them to Shiro.
"I hate to say it but I told you so! He's still in Denial-land and he's not coming back any time soon!" Shiro commented dryly as the two headed quickly back towards their rooms to change.
"Yeah!" Kuro sighed in exasperation and got up to follow Shiro, at least now they had a better idea of what part of Aoshi's hang up was perhaps he would mention it to Mrs. Kate she was always full of good advice. 'Yeah, he seems to listen to her! Yeah I'll tell her!' he decided as he entered his room…
As soon as Shuhei was out of Aoshi's sight he took off at a dead run. His heart thundered with an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time 'were you watching father?' he wondered.
Pissing off the ninja master may not have been a good idea but it still felt great! It felt the same as that day he'd won that duel against Kuwajiro while father, Commander Hijikata, Capt. Okita and Gen-san looked on. Kuwa had bullied him mercilessly from the minute he'd joined the Shinsengumi. He hated the fact that Shuhei was Kondo's heir and was such a weak swordsman in his opinion so finally fed up with it Shuhei challenged him to a sparring match, after that defeat Shuhei had earned Kuwajiro's respect and over the years they'd become such close friends that they were practically brothers.
'Capt. Okita and Gen-san would be bouncing off the walls!' he thought as he reached his room. He may not have been the greatest swordsman in the Shinsengumi but in a battle of sheer brainpower he could definitely hold his own against the best!
'Round one goes to me!' Shuhei declared savoring his first victory against his only real opponent in the battle to win Ms. Misao's heart. He quickly stripped out of his western trappings and put on a kimono Tsune had given him when father died. It had once belonged to his father before she and Isami were married; it was a little worn but still looked decent. He felt he needed a physical connection with his father right now so he could share with him his small victory…
Aoshi punched the training dummy and the thing shattered instantly!
"Damn it!" he cursed, that was the last training dummy left and he wasn't even close to releasing any of the anger bottled inside him looking for an outlet. He cleared the remains of the device, took a deep breath and tried another approach
'I'll just practice my kata for now and wait until morning then I can go spar with the old Mitsurugi master!' he told himself, Seiguro Hiko didn't mind having him over as long as he brought sake so Aoshi made it a point to spar with him at least once a month. He knew that his current state of mind required more than a few punching dummies and Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu had always been a good way to clear his mind and reset his priorities.
He tried to concentrate on the simple motions of kata but the familiar movements that should've been fluid and relaxing came jerkily and awkward. Time and time again he found himself starting over and it made him feel even more frustrated. In his distracted state of mind he completely missed Mrs. Kate's arrival
"You're doing it wrong," her soft melodious foreign accent did not register with him until it was too late. His already battle tensed reflexes lashed out before he could realize whom it was that the voice belonged to. His leg kicked out full-force on a simple roundhouse kick, she easily ducked out of the way. Her palm connected with his shin and pushed it hard using his own powerful momentum to knock him slightly out of balance. He managed to stay on his feet and by the time he turned to apologize and see if she was hurt, she was already gracefully seated with her back against the wall
"Come, sit next to me child," she invited gently smiling patiently at him and waving away his apologies. Contritely, he sat and listened to the old woman speak as she explained that some aspects of martial arts were like dancing so having been a successful dancer in her youth and having seen him practice this routine often she could easily tell what he was doing wrong.
"So tell me child, what is it that keeps you from opening up to Misao?" she asked gently
"What do you mean?" Aoshi asked attempting to feign ignorance
"I mean, why do you keep denying how you feel about her? You only hurt yourself with that attitude," she pressed on
"I don't know what you're talking about," he replied a bit defensively but he had a feeling he knew where she was going with this. He decided he'd just leave and began to excuse himself
"Oh no you don't!" she ordered him, her old and wrinkled hand wrapped itself tightly about his wrist, "if you'll not talk to her then you'll have to listen to me!" she scolded, he knew he could easily break out of her grip but it would cause the old woman physical harm and besides it would be cowardly of him to run from her. He sat back down again
"If you're excuse is you're age difference then it's a very weak one! And young Shuhei had absolutely no problems in knocking that excuse down!" she scorned
"No it isn't that…" he began weakly not bothering to hide it anymore obviously she'd somehow seen right through him, "Wait, How do you know how I feel?" he asked hoping he hadn't been obvious about it
"I wasn't sure at first, it wasn't until we went to America that I confirmed it," she began then explained how she'd noticed the way he had spoken about Misao to little Amelia at Rock Creek and how he was looking at her when she tried on the dress he gave her and that yes, she did notice that he almost kissed her that day too. She had stopped him on purpose then covered for him because he was still heavily in denial and it would've caused Misao a great deal of emotional harm if he'd carried out his action and then tried to backtrack.
"Thank you for that, I don't want to hurt her," he replied penitently feeling the familiar sting of shame and guilt assaulting him again.
"So it's guilt then, perhaps you're thinking that she should be with someone with less of a bloody past?" she asked a touch of sarcasm in her voice. He nodded simply and she blew out her breath in exasperation
"Well child! That excuse is also a weak one and young Shuhei knocked that down quite easily I must say!" she reprimanded noticing how his jaw tightened at the mention of his name, "quite an eloquent, well-mannered and all around charming young man, I hear his father was like that too," she added in an attempt to goad him and was rewarded with a soft jealous growl from Aoshi.
"She should be with someone more suitable than me that's all," Aoshi replied weakly not daring to look the woman in the eye.
"I see, then Shuhei would be a pretty good candidate, wouldn't he?" she replied innocently trying to provoke him
"No he wouldn't!" he snapped. In a whirl of angry motion she was on her feet and towering over him with her fists on her hips.
"Oh! So you think you know best?" she snapped back angrily, it surprised him! Aoshi had never seen her angry before she had always seemed a never ending fountain of patience and good will
"Let me give you a little reality check you selfish brat!" she began, her irritation climbing exponentially
"To half the eligible men in this city Misao is a hero, she is strong and virtuous definitely someone to emulate but to those young men she is one of the boys and to the other half she is nothing more than a trophy! A prize that only the strongest one of them will be able to display! So they crawl out of woodworks and throw themselves at her caring not at all about how she feels or what she wants! Is that what you think she deserves!" she practically yelled at him pointing an accusing finger at him.
"And how convenient for you that she's decided to not marry! You get to keep her to yourself and not have to make any commitments!" she pounced angrily again before he could find his voice
"She has learned to live with this and many other injustices, content to work hard for the meager scraps of affection you throw her way!" she scolded and Aoshi just shook his head lamely not knowing what to say, "her sole motivation is to earn your respect and make sure your life is happy and peaceful! I have been patient until now but my patience has run out!" she paced angrily for a moment trying to gather her thoughts
"Did you know that it wasn't until this morning that Misao was given access to the historical records of the Oniwaban?" she asked him suddenly changing tracks
"What?" Aoshi exclaimed, he was shocked to hear this, he had simply assumed that Misao had chosen not to go through those records to avoid the bias of history and create her own style of leadership and he believed it worked well for her, especially in this Meiji era.
"Apparently it wasn't until yesterday that she finally demonstrated that she was fit for the position! Not that it matters, Misao broke into those archives years ago, she is very adept at fending for herself!" she continued glaring down at him. Aoshi didn't look up, guilt and shame threatened to overwhelm him. He drew his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them and with his forehead hitting against his knees repeatedly he reproached himself for not noticing!
'But you did notice…' said a disappointed voice in his head that sounded a lot like Hannya. Hannya had always been his voice of reason whenever he got carried away. Yeah, he had noticed he'd just chosen to ignore it. He would just ignore it when Omasu and Okon tuned her out when she was talking; he'd ignored Okina not consulting her opinion on issues that concerned everyone in the Aoiya, he'd ignored Kuro and Shiro always treating her like a little girl and she had long ceased to be one! Yeah, he'd noticed hpw much she'd grown but of course, he'd chosen to ignore that too. He looked up suddenly as a new thought occurred to him.
"Wait, that means Misao knows what happened to her father!" he thought suddenly horrified. One of the reasons he'd avoided talking about the records was because he wanted to spare Misao the pain of knowing who killed her father.
"Yes, she does!" the old woman replied a touch of pride in her voice, "and I'm exceedingly proud of how she handled that knowledge! You should know it was her decision not to tell Kenshin! She believes he has enough guilt to carry without adding her orphaned state to it!" she explained but as she looked down at Aoshi's penitent form her heart softened. She sat in front of him.
"Aoshi, she wants everyone around her to be happy because it makes her happy and she will go to almost any length! In Kenshin's case she's grateful that he sent you back to her at such great risk to himself and his mission, to her that's more than enough atonement and she can't bring herself to hate him for killing someone she never knew, it's just not in her nature," she continued but her voice had lost the harshness of anger
"And with you she thinks you need her help so much that she puts aside all her own needs for yours!" she explained with a touch of sadness in her voice
"But I'm tired of seeing her devote all her time and effort to make others happy when nobody ever bothers to ask her what will make her happy! I'm tired of coming here year after year and nothing ever changes for her," she added in a soft and weary tone "I'm sick of watching her lie to herself day after day and then listen to her cry in her sleep!"
"So I'll ask you this: Will you let go of your stubborn pride and reach out to her as she's been trying to reach for you?" she asked him as her hand reached for his chin and pulled his face up to look him in the eye
"I…just want her…to be happy…" he answered hesitantly looking a bit helpless and confused "it's too late, what can I do now?" he asked, she smiled patiently again
"Aoshi, the only place you can find an answer is in you're heart and it's not too late child!" she stood up again and looked out the window.
"It looks like it'll be dark soon, Misao's going to walk home alone in the dark again, I know it!" she grumbled frustrated
"No she won't!" he replied as he stood up and hurried towards the exit, he stopped at the door as she called him
"Aoshi, remember: only Misao knows what will make Misao happy, you're arrogant if you think you know better!" Mrs. Kate scolded "Hurry up now! Don't make her wait any longer!" she admonished.
"Thank you Kate-Sensei," he replied solemnly and bowed towards her. She smiled in a motherly way and shooed him away, he raced out to his room to grab his trench coat and headed out towards the Haruno's place at best possible speed.
"Well, I hope that did the trick!" she said to the now empty room, she giggled mischievously glad that she'd made Misao promise to remain at the Haruno's until someone came to pick her up. 'I just hope Sakura-chan kept her end of the bargain!' she thought. She couldn't help feeling bad for Shuhei though she really did like him and he'd been more helpful then he could possibly imagine! Slowly, she made her way back to her room to get her journal…
Misao sighed tiredly finally the party seemed to be winding down. She figured it was a good thing she was staying at least she could help clean up, knowing Kuro and Shiro they'll probably forget that one of them is supposed to come until Mrs. Kate or Gramps yells at them to get going. She wished she had brought her shinobi outfit and asked herself for the millionth time that afternoon why she let Sakura doll her up in this "way-too-pretty-for-me" kimono. She had been extra careful not to ruin Okon's new kimono but the extra effort was making her a little tired and stressed out.
'I'll have plenty of time to help Sakura and Saya clean up at least,' she thought. What she really wanted was to get home and ask Lord Aoshi about the Shinsengumi. She really wished Mrs. Kate hadn't made her promise to stay it would be faster if she just went by herself. She could be home in no time at all! She sighed tiredly again Sakura's older brother Sutesuke and his best friend Kamo had just shown up and were already pretty drunk. They leaned against the window, draining bottle after bottle making fun of or scaring anyone who passed by on the street.
Those two were one of the reasons she didn't drink. They were always getting wasted and ended up doing stupid, nasty stuff that they couldn't remember the next day. More than once she had seen Sutesuke in the throes of a painful hangover and yet he just kept on doing it! Their behavior made drinking totally unappealing! Besides, Lord Aoshi disapproved of drinking so she never did it! She couldn't understand why as strict as Sakura's father was with her he just allowed him to be such a wastrel! It was so unfair, Sakura was way smarter than her brother but because she was a woman her father wouldn't let her help in the family business.
'She's got tons of good ideas to make the factory grow! It's just not fair!' she thought as she watched Sutesuke and Kamo make fools of themselves with open disdain. Sakura's mute cousin Saya got up and began picking up some of the empty dishes, immediately Naruto got up and followed suit. Sutesuke looked up
"Hey you! Since you're going to the kitchen bring back some more sake!" he slurred drunkenly as he drained another bottle of sake and tossed it in her and Naruto's direction. Saya frowned and looked up at Naruto who glared back at Sutesuke and kicked the empty bottle back at him.
"Get it your own damn self!" Naruto yelled back at him in disgust then turned and guided Saya out of the room. Misao decided that it was time to end this party before the two drunks ruined their good times. She glanced over at Sakura and she could tell that she was starting to get nervous and embarrassed but like a proper little sister she wouldn't dare scold her older brother in front of non-family members.
"Alright, I guess we should start cleaning up!" Misao suggested cheerfully and got up to pick up the empty trays and sake bottles Sutesuke and Kamo had already littered all over the room. The two men groaned unhappily
"The Okashira has spoken! All must now bow to her wishes!" Kamo intoned sarcastically then the two men laughed cynically. Misao just rolled her eyes in mild annoyance, she was used to guys making jokes like that. It used to bother her but not any more, especially now since Lord Aoshi told her he was proud of her. Today, not even guys like Sutesuke and Kamo could bother her!
"Shut up you worthless drunks!" Sasuke sneered "if the Okashira really gets mad you'll be lucky to get out of it in one piece, morons!" Sasuke mocked. Annoyed, Sutesuke hurled a bowl full of rice at him that Sasuke easily dodged. Sakura gasped in shock and got up quickly to kneel in front of her brother
"Brother please…why don't you continue you're party at Kamo's? You can take the rest of the sake!" she suggested diplomatically, the nervous pleading tone in her voice made Misao angry. She hated that her friend had to curry favor with her wastrel of a brother or her father would reprimand her if she didn't. She would find a way for her friend to be free somehow!
"Shut up you! We'll leave when we're damned good and ready!" he ordered her annoyed and knocked overhis tray with his foot spilling the remains of his miso soup all over the floor and Sakura barely managed to shuffle out of the way to avoid getting the soup all over her kimono. That was about as much as Sasuke would take, he shot up ready to pound Sutesuke and Kamo into a bloody pulp but Misao shot up too and put a hand on his chest
"No Sasuke! If you fight with him you know Sakura's gonna pay!" Misao reasoned coolly. Sasuke backed off, every time he'd beaten her brother up it was Sakura who ended up enduring the long punishments for not controlling her "violent" friends. Misao winked at him conspiratorially silently letting Sasuke know that she would take care of it, on the other hand when Misao was the one to beat them up they didn't dare complain for fear of damaging their manly reputations! He knew though that if he stayed he would end up fighting regardless.
"I'll be back later, after the trash has been taken out," Sasuke replied coolly directing his comment to the two drunks. Misao just giggled amused, Sakura bowed her head not daring to look up. At this point she was much too embarrassed by her brother's behavior to look up and her friends cared about her so much that they'd forbidden her to apologize on his behalf.
"Say that to my face tough guy!" Kamo goaded then laughed drunkenly. Sasuke leaned closer to them
"Worthless Trash!" he repeated sarcastically. Kamo hurled an empty sake bottle at him but both Misao and Sasuke easily ducked out of the way. Sasuke laughed derisively and walked out. Misao pulled Sakura to her feet she looked like she was about to cry but was doing a fair job of holding back. Misao handed her several empty trays and sent her to help with the dishes. Saya returned then with a couple of buckets with water and several clean rags. She blew out an exasperated breath and tied her sleeves back with the string Saya offered her and took one of the buckets.
'What do women see in them anyway?' she wondered as she glared at the two drunk men sprawled on the other side of the room and began mopping the spilled soup. Sure they're both rich and handsome but they were extremely useless! All they did was drink, gamble and chase girls around. Kamo drunkenly got up and announced he was going to the bathroom. He made a nasty comment to Saya asking her if she wanted to come and "help" him. Saya merely ignored him and as he stumbled towards her Misao's foot shot out with lightning speed to trip him and was gone before either drunk could tell what happened
"Oh! Watch where you're going there, Kamo!" Misao called out innocently as Kamo slammed face down on the ground; even Sutesuke laughed thinking his friend was just so blitzed he had tripped over his own feet. Kamo managed to get back on his feet and grumbled unhappily as he stumbled out of the room. Misao rolled her eyes and shook her head amazed at how useless and pathetic they were.
'Not at all like Lord Aoshi!' she thought allowing herself a little bit of girly daydreaming. She marveled at how smart he was and how quickly he'd learned Italian, German, and Spanish, it didn't surprise her at all that he already knew English and French as well as several other languages. She was so proud of him
'Now look at him! In almost no time at all he went from lowly correspondence translator to traveling the world as the minister's most trusted and efficient translator!' she sighed happily thinking about the interesting places he must've been to and all the strange and wonderful things he must've seen. Her blissful daydreaming was rudely interrupted by a blast of hot sake-heavy breath near her face her nose wrinkled in absolute disgust
"What are you thinkin'…" Sutesuke slurred in an attempt to sound seductive
WHAM! Misao's fist slammed into Sutesuke's face and he fell backwards clutching his jaw and moaning in pain. His eyes glazed over and he looked about to pass out.
"None of your business, moron!" she yelled at him and rolled her eyes for the millionth time since he'd crashed their happy party, Saya giggled in amusement of Sutesuke and Kamo's plight and Misao joined her briefly. She squeezed the rag she was mopping soup with and went back to her happy little daydreaming. She allowed herself to imagine Lord Aoshi in a uniform like Col. Watts' and sighed thinking how amazing he would look in it!
'Yeah! He'd look way better than Gun-up-his-butt Watts!' she thought happily allowing herself the rare luxury of being lost in girly daydreams even going so far as plotting to steal Watts' blue and gold uniform from him. He was about the same height and build as Lord Aoshi after all! Lost as she was in this daydreaming, she hardly noticed Sutesuke shuffle drunkenly to his feet. He lurched forward and slipped on the wet floor landing right smack on top of Misao.
"SUTESUKE YOU JERK! GET OFF ME NOW!" she yelled at him though she was angrier with herself for getting caught off guard. His eyes rolled back into his head, he looked completely out of it so Misao decided to cut him a little slack and give him fair warning. Besides if she beat him up in his current condition first: it wouldn't be very honorable considering the severe mental and physical disadvantagehe was in and second: she'd probably kill him! Again she yelled at him to get off or she'd be forced to hurt him. His eyes finally came back into focus and he smiled as he realized where he was.
"Why? I like it here!" he replied attempting again to sound seductive. She rolled her eyes again 'Oh boy here we go again! Don't guys ever learn?' Kamo returned then and leered as he saw the position Misao and Sutesuke were in and went to sit by the window again so he could watch the show.
Misao rolled her eyes in mild annoyance and calculated how much cash these guys were carrying. This little transgression was gonna be painful both on their wallets and their bodies she decided. Her arms were pinned at the wrists by Sutesuke's full weight on his hands but it's not like she hadn't been in similar situations before. She was a master escape artist and after she got up she would lay a world of hurt on these two!
"Relax!Who are you saving yourself for? That cold-hearted bastard Aoshi! Come on that old fart doesn't have what it takes to satisfy a pretty young thing like you!" Sutesuke laughed and Kamo laughed along with him. White-hot anger burned in Misao 'Nobody but nobody insults Lord Aoshi!' she declared
"THAT'S IT YOUR DEAD!" she yelled…
And that's it for this chapter… TAN, TAN, TAAAAAN!
What will happen to Misao? Will Aoshi make it in time? And where did Saya go? Tune in next time! Same bat-time! Same bat-channel! Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha, Ha!
Autumndays: I'm so glad you're enjoying this! No, I didn't know that about ninjas I merely went with the assumption that if he was made leader at the tender age of fifteen then he must be a genius both mentally and physically and would have no trouble learning a few languages in a short amount of time. Plus, I figured since military leaders in general are picked in that manner I merely thought it was no different with ninjas. I'm glad to know I was right! I'm also glad you didn't find him out of character especially when he was having that little hissy fit in his room! I hope you like this installment. I felt bad that I had to be so rough on Aoshi in this chapter but sometimes broody, ultra serious boys like him don't learn unless you give him a few good whacks on the head!
Mandella-sama: I totally agree! Aoshi needs to get his weasel-girl before the wolf gets a chance to run off with her! I see what you mean about the word "wolf" evoking thoughts of Saito but I hope this chapter clears things up a bit!
Keep reading and reviewing! Let me know what you think and where I could improve!