Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin, Naruto, Peacemaker, Shinsengumi, Dukes of Hazzard or Star Trek Voyager…
Part 6: The death of Aoshi Shinomori
It was completely dark by the time they reluctantly pulled away from their kiss…
To a ninja darkness is a stalwart companion, a mighty shield… a loyal friend. To the two ninjas whose paths finally joined together at the side of the river; the night shadows became the first witness to their newborn love. It was fitting then that the night sky should be the only one to hear Aoshi passionately whisper words Misao thought she'd never hear. A soft breeze blew by the river bank insuring that none but the shadows heard him ask for her hand in marriage and her dreamy and joyous reply would be carried up by the wind for only the spirits of the night to hear.
"We should really get home now," he whispered as he helped her up off the bench. She merely smiled and nodded looking a little dazed but happy. He took her hand and pulled her close. This time as they walked home he made sure to be more considerate of her shorter stride. There was still the matter of dealing with Sutesuke and his friend but that could wait, in fact, he should probably just let Kuro and Shiro handle it after all he did owe them for not bringing them along for the Kaiba incident. For now though all that mattered to him was making sure Misao's present and future happiness was assured. The two finally arrived at the Aoiya
"Did you have dinner already?" Misao asked as they walked into the Aoiya. He shook his head
"No I haven't," he replied as he slid the door closed behind him
"Well, why don't you go wash up and change while I make you something for dinner?" she suggested cheerfully and turned to hurry off to the kitchen but Aoshi's arms prevented her from leaving. He pulled her close again and kissed her
"Your avoiding it!" he stated and kissed her senseless again
"Avoiding what?" she asked feeling a little weak in the knees and was glad that Aoshi was still holding her
"Saying my name without the Lord attached to it!" he retorted sounding somewhat amused, he loved the way she blushed every time he touched her. It was very…encouraging!
"It just feels a little weird…I've been calling you Lord Aoshi for so long…" she began but he cut her off again with yet another searing kiss. She felt her knees buckle but his arms held on tight and whatever reservations she still had disappeared
"Say it!" he purred softly in her ear, this physical closeness to her filled him with a vitality he hadn't felt in a very long time
"Aoshi…" she whispered dreamily back and the soft tone in her voice sent a thrill through him and stirred up sensations and emotions that he had long considered dead
"See? That wasn't so hard," he pointed out. The slight note of mischief in his voice both surprised and delighted her! It was a side of him she hadn't known existed and she wondered what other surprises would be in store for her! She happily caught on to his little game and wrapping her arms around his chest she decided to play along
"Well I don't know, it might take a while for me to get used to it so I might need some more encouragement!" she suggested with cheerful innocence. He smirked and again he kissed her
"How much more?" he asked softly but didn't let her answer. He smothered her in his blazing kisses and she melted into his seemingly insatiable embrace. So intent were they in their kissing game they didn't notice Kate-sensei approach. She cleared her throat loudly and the two lovers started slightly
"Good evening children," she greeted casually though she was barely restraining an amused smirk.
"Good evening Mrs. Kate!" Misao returned the greeting with more cheer than she'd felt in a while. Mrs. Kate smiled at them in that motherly way that said she both knew what was going on and approved. Aoshi found it more than a little disconcerting when he realized that the old woman seemed to know more about what people were thinking and feeling than they themselves knew. The fact that she could sneak up on him and all the other ninjas in the Aoiya most of the time was positively astonishing! But he didn't feel too worried about it; she had more than proven herself a good friend and wise counsel and she could sneak up on Kenshin and his master just as easily as she could sneak up on the ninjas.
"Good evening Kate-sensei," he addressed her solemnly thinking perhaps he should introduce her to Saito and see if she can sneak up on him too.
"I think it's safe to assume that you're both having a good night so far?" she commented not bothering to hide her amusement. Aoshi smirked and nodded his arms were still wrapped tight around his ninja princess
"Yep! We sure are!" Misao exclaimed happily, the old woman laughed and it seemed to Aoshi that a youthful light flashed briefly in her eyes. When he thought about it Mrs. Kate always did seem to favor Misao. She was kind and motherly to most young people but it seemed Misao held a particularly special place for her and anyone Misao didn't particularly care for or made her unhappy in any way would quickly incur her wrath. In similar manner anyone Misao favored would receive preferential treatment. This had only become apparent to him this afternoon when he had incurred the old woman's ire. He was sure now that the only reason she kept coming back to Japan was because of Misao. He thought perhaps he might ask her some time.
"Well I'm happy for you dear child!" she replied patting both of them on the cheek in a motherly way then turned towards the kitchen after giving them one last nod of approval. He excused himself from the two women's presence to follow his future wife's instructions. He gave Misao one more quick kiss before he rushed off. He was quickly finding out that being so close to his ninja princess was somewhat addictive!
"So where is everybody?" Misao asked excitedly as she followed Mrs. Kate to the kitchen, she could still feel her skin burning from the heat of Aoshi's kisses. She found herself briefly torn between the urge to follow him back to his room and the need to confide in Mrs. Kate what had transpired that evening. However, Aoshi had not eaten yet and her tendency to be protective of his well-being won out and made her follow the old woman to the kitchen.
"Well I believe Mr. Okina is playing Go with his friends Mr. Motou and Mr. Haruno, Shiro-chan and Kuro-chan went out with Mr. Shuhei and Okon-chan and Omasu-chan are out with that Hiko fellow!" she informed her and Misao giggled as the old timer wrinkled her nose in distaste at the last name she mentioned. Mrs. Kate and Master Hiko had clashed from the instant they met! It didn't help that every time Master Hiko instigated a battle of wits with Mrs. Kate she always left him choking in her dust. Misao's favorite pastime was watching Master Hiko get his butt handed to him by Mrs. Kate!
"So how was your party dear," she asked and Misao launched into a brief account of the goings on at the party. Mrs. Kate frowned at the mention of Sakura's brother, the two entered the kitchen and Misao set to work pausing in her account for only a second to ask her if she wanted some tea and dinner. She refused dinner, saying she already had some but accepted the tea. Her eyes went wide with shock as Misao told her what happened with Sutesuke and Kamo and she frowned in heavy disapproval; but her frown disappeared as Misao recounted dreamily what Aoshi had said to her by the river.
"Well, I'm so glad he finally opened up! I'm sure you'll be very happy together," she remarked merrily as she took the tea cup Misao was offering.
"Mrs. Kate, Sutesuke said something that…well I just don't know if I should tell Aoshi…I don't want him to get angry again," she began hesitantly. Mrs. Kate frowned and she patted Misao's hand encouragingly
"Tell me dear," she ordered firmly but gently. Misao always felt safe telling Mrs. Kate how she felt or what she thought. Mrs. Kate was very good at keeping secrets and she always knew the right thing to say
"Well he said…well his exact words were…" she hesitated then repeated exactly what Sutesuke had said about Aoshi being too old to have "what it takes" to please young pretty girls like her. For a moment Mrs. Kate said nothing then to Misao's great shock she exploded into giant guffaws and Misao was afraid that Mrs. Kate was going to bust a rib! The old timer took a deep breath and with great effort forced herself to stop laughing
"I'm sorry dear! I don't mean to make fun! Let me ask you this: Do you really believe that Sutesuke is right?" she asked and watched Misao mull over the question for a moment then when the young woman blushed and giggled softly
"No, I didn't think so!" Mrs. Kate answered for her and chuckled in a strange girlish way that didn't sound like her at all. Misao looked somewhere between amused and confused
"I believe that you should tell him only if he asks you but bear in mind that when men have their virility questioned they will wish to prove the inaccuracy of such statements to the object of their affection," she whispered conspiratorially then winked and giggled in that strange girlish way that Misao had never heard before. Misao blushed fiercely as she realized what Mrs. Kate was talking about
"And granted Aoshi-chan may be different from most men but he is still a man and you are the sole object of his affections," she explained still keeping her voice in a conspiratorial whisper. Misao giggled
"Besides judging by how things were going just a few minutes ago I would say it won't be long before he makes an effective demonstration!" the old timer added cheerfully sipping her tea
"I personally would recommend not making your engagement period too long!" she whispered with a hint of mischief in her voice and laughed as Misao blushed deeply after all Misao had been thinking just that! To Misao's further shock Mrs. Kate proceeded to "educate" her in the ways of men and women, but to her relief Mrs. Kate's version didn't sound as gross or intimidating as Okon had made it sound on the eve of her eighteenth birthday. In fact it sounded so much more appealing that suddenly she couldn't wait for her wedding day!
"Mrs. Kate, I'm so glad you're here!" Misao pointed out still blushing from all the interesting revelations. The two huddled close together and surreptitiously speculated how much Aoshi might know about such things even though it made Misao a little jealous to think other women might have touched her Aoshi. Mrs. Kate explained that it was most definitely a possibility that he does have experience given their age difference but that she shouldn't concern herself with the past.
"Dear, what is important is that Aoshi-chan is yours now and any experience he might have will only serve to benefit the two of you in the future!" Mrs. Kate advised her solemnly. On impulse, Misao hugged the old woman tight she didn't know why but she felt as though this evening's happy events she owed them to her intervention.
When Aoshi walked in they were deep in a conversation that stopped the instant he stepped into the kitchen. He cast them both suspicious glances as they giggled conspiratorially. Misao bounced up, took his hand and pulled him all the way into the kitchen. In no time at all his dinner and tea were laid out before him
"Ok so now it's my turn! I'll go change while you have you're dinner ok Lord Aoshi," she informed him, intentionally forgetting to detach the honorific from his name. He turned with lightning speed and his arms were around her waist so quickly she hardly saw them move
"You did that on purpose!" he purred seductively
"Did what?" she asked innocently smiling cheerfully at him.
"I suppose you still need more encouragement?" He asked a touch of playfulness in his voice. Misao smiled eagerly and he smirked then devoured her in another burning kiss
"I'll take that as my cue to make a dignified exit!" Mrs. Kate said to herself with a chuckle of amusement deciding to refill her tea cup before returning to her room but as she was reaching for the pot Misao stopped her.
"Please stay here with Aoshi until I come back Mrs. Kate!" Misao requested as she filled Mrs. Kate's cup for her. Mrs. Kate nodded amiably and Misao bounced away from the kitchen but not without another searing kiss from her betrothed. Aoshi watched content as she cheerfully skipped away then turned towards Mrs. Kate
"Thank you," he said softly she looked up from her tea
"For what child," she replied a bit mystified
"For taking care of her, for looking out for her," he explained, he was sure that Mrs. Kate's main reason for returning to the Aoiya was Misao but he wanted her to know that he was aware of it and that he was grateful. Her eyebrow raised in slight surprise
"I don't do much more than listen but I'm glad I was finally able to give something back," she replied contentedly. He looked confused for a moment and again she gave him that all-knowing motherly smile
"You see for an old one like me, whose life's path is as barren as a dessert, it is a rare treasure to find such an oasis as that young girl's heart," she explained wistfully. The sad tone in her voice caught Aoshi by surprise but he knew that Mrs. Kate had no family except for some orphans that she cared for in her ranch and her farm back home and they were mostly grown now.
"So I don't mind traveling halfway across the world to see it or pulling a few strings to keep it from withering away!" she declared cheerfully
"Wouldn't you?" she added with a touch of mischief in her voice. He smirked and nodded. Yes, he would travel halfway around the world for Misao's smile but he'd go twice around it for her forgiveness and acceptance.
"Kate-sensei, you haven't known me as long as you've known Misao but you were able to read me so well. How did you figure me out so easily?" Aoshi asked seriously starting to worry about whether he was losing his touch; he would be of no use to his Leader if he couldn't conceal his emotions from people.
"Don't worry child you're skills have not diminished," she began with a knowing smile and a wink
"I'm just old and experience, my boy, is the best teacher in the universe!" she replied enigmatically
"Now eat child! Misao-chan worries when you don't!" she commanded sternly before Aoshi could ask her to elaborate. Automatically, he obeyed but as he did he realized that no one ever questioned her when she issued an order, it surprised him that it did not bother him. She cheerfully changed the subject and began talking about her farm in some place called Hazzard County where some of the members of her Duke clan (that's the last name she gives the orphans she adopts and raises in America) grew corn and made the "finest" whiskey in all the of the USA and her cattle ranch in Texas where she boasted of owning the best herd in all the state!
"Now making moonshine is tricky business! But my kids are especially adept! Their liquor is always in high demand! But the ranch is my personal favorite!" she ranted on describing at length the beauty of the corn fields during harvest season, the wide open spaces of her cattle ranch, the magnificence of the prairies when in the full bloom of spring, the cool ocean breeze on a warm summer day on the beaches of California and the sweet scent of the evergreens in the mountains of Colorado during winter.
Her descriptions of America's many natural beauties sounded so alluring that for a moment he wondered if he'd been in a different country from the one she was describing! His memories of his trip to the USA consisted mostly of long and uncomfortable journeys on dusty roads and endless train rides packed with weird people who didn't ever shut up! And if that wasn't bad enough arriving in cities so noisy and over-crowded it was impossible for anyone to get a proper night's sleep!
"I knew I should've sat in the compartment you were traveling on Kate-sensei, the view must've been so much better there," he commented dryly as she paused to take a sip of her tea. She looked up, a look of utter shock on her face then laughed so hard she had to put her cup down so she could hold her sides. For a moment Aoshi was worried that the old woman would stop breathing or have a heart-attack or both! Again with great difficulty she forced herself to stop laughing.
"I'm sorry! Oh, I haven't laughed this hard in ages!" she remarked as she took another deep breath and attempted to regain control of herself. Aoshi merely stared at her in confusion. Kate-sensei was a very respectable and sophisticated person; she was definitely not prone to such uncouth outbursts, well, at least he had thought she wasn't…until now!
"You are absolutely right, I should've been you're guide from the start! But not to worry I'm going to fix that!" she announced cheerfully. Aoshi gave her a dubious look
"Fix it? How?" he asked looking slightly confused, she became serious and thoughtful again
"Well, for years I've been trying to get Misao to come and visit my ranch and meet some of my kids and I think now would be a good time to finally get you two down there but that's something you'll have to discuss with you're future wife though. You see, she has always refused my invitations even though I knew she would've loved to come, at first it was because she was looking for you and I understood and respected that but afterwards…" she paused as Aoshi cut her off
"Because she wouldn't leave me," he guessed feeling extremely guilty that Misao would deny herself something she wanted for his sake. Kate-sensei nodded solemnly, and then something else occurred to him
"But if she's always wanted to go how come she didn't come with us when we went to America?" he asked tentatively
"Can you really not guess why?" she countered patiently. Guiltily he looked down and with effort continued eating his food
'Of course you can!' she reasoned shrewdly to herself, 'you put that girl through the wringer young man! Don't think I'm going to let you off that easy!' she thought as she promised herself that she would make him painfully aware of every single hardship Misao endured quietly for the sake of his peace and well-being. After all it was as Aoshi had guessed, the only reason she came back was for Misao and in fact, had she been given the choice she would've taken Misao away and raised the girl in her ranch in the USA with her other kids.
"She was trying to do the mature adult thing and give herself some temporary physical distance between her and you so she could get over what she used to call her "useless girly feelings" for you and in this way become a more useful friend and competent warrior companion. She even went as far as hiring that insufferable young man Mr. Hiko to improve her martial arts training while you were gone!" she lectured and feeling pleased with the results of Aoshi's dress-down she continued
"Mind you, how she tolerated that man's sarcastic remarks just so she could be strong enough to be some sort of substitute for the men you lost is beyond me!" she concluded sounding amazed and slightly mystified. Aoshi looked up shocked his chopsticks snapped in half
"What?...Why?...How?" he stammered confused and stunned that his ninja princess would go to such lengths just to ease his pain.
"What she endured was a once a week intense Hiten-mitsurugi based training geared to increase her speed and strength. Why: duh! You are the center of her existence and the thing you seem to value most is martial arts strength. How: well, that's simple she took what little she earns here - that she doesn't spend on getting something you or the Aoiya needs - to buy Sake and other provisions for that pottery hermit and carried them herself up the mountain every week!" she enumerated scornfully
"I certainly hope you're not expecting a dowry young man!" she remarked severely. Aoshi just stared at her in wide-eyed shock and shook his head vigorously
"It hadn't even occurred to me," he replied sincerely and added in his defense that he wouldn't have wanted nor needed one from her anyway. Kate-sensei nodded in solemn approval and calmly sipped her tea. Guilt and pride battled for supremacy within his heart. He was proud of the fact that his Okashira - and soon to be wife - was tough enough to withstand the intensity of Hiten-mitsurugi training but felt guilty that she did it because she thought it would make him happy. Shame eventually beat out the other two as he realized how much she had endured quietly right under his nose. It was no wonder that Misao was able to speak earlier with such bitterness and cynicism! Not a moment too soon did he decide to open up to her; he didn't want to think of what would've happened if he'd continued being the way he was before.
"This isn't going to be easy," he thought out loud as he got up to get a new set of chopsticks feeling lowlier than an ant and wondering how in the world he was going to make up for all this.
"Well, I didn't say it would be, now did I! But you're a smart young man I'm sure you'll figure out something!" Kate-sensei replied cheerfully, smiled and happily went back to sipping her tea. Before he could respond he heard the noisy arrival of Okon and Omasu accompanied by Master Hiko. Misao's voice joined their voices and before anyone could move to a distance where he could actually make out what they were saying the voices of Shiro, Kuro and Okina joined in as they arrived at the inn.
He finished quickly the remainder of his rice and cleared his dishes away leaving only his tea cup. Kate-sensei went back to excitedly talking about her ranch and suggesting a possible itinerary for their visit to the USA on their honeymoon as her guests and she was clear to emphasize that last item. He refilled his tea cup and Kate-sensei's as everyone filed into the kitchen. He was surprised to see a very nasty bruise on the side of Master Hiko's face and apparently it was the main topic of conversation. Okon quickly rushed to get Master Hiko some Sake while Omasu directed him towards a seat between Aoshi and Mrs. Kate
"Mrs. Kate! Can you help Master Hiko?" was the first thing that came out of Misao's mouth as she returned to the kitchen which didn't surprise Aoshi; it was typical of Misao to try and help someone in need. With an exaggerated dramatic sigh Kate-sensei moved closer to take a look and assessed that she indeed had something that would help with the swelling.
"But there are other more serious injuries on you aren't there?" she inquired testily. Hiko just glared at her suspiciously
"How do you know that?" he replied equally cross the old woman rolled her eyes and sarcastically began listing the reasons
"Well, number one: you walked into the kitchen like a normal person for once rather than use that insufferable swagger of yours; two: your shirt isn't as open as it usually is; three: you sat very slowly; four: you…"
"All right, fine! You guessed it! So I do have few other bruises!" he cut her off irritated "I don't see how it should concern you!"
"What a brat! Young man, it concerns me because my Hippocratic Oath requires me to treat all patients without discrimination and because those three girls worry their pretty little heads off when someone they have befriended is injured!" she scolded gesturing to indicate Okon, Omasu and Misao as she got up.
"Come along now! Let's get those injuries treated!" she commanded and with a soft growl of annoyance Hiko downed quickly the Sake Okon had poured for him and got up but turned for a moment
"Hey you, when are you coming by again?" he asked gruffly, Aoshi almost opened his mouth to reply but stopped when he realized that Hiko wasn't talking to him he was talking to Misao. She smiled up at him
"Sorry Master Hiko, I've been really busy but I'll come over soon ok!" she replied eagerly
"Have you been practicing?" he asked and to Aoshi's surprise she smiled proudly he was starting to think there was more to Kate-sensei's story than she let on.
'I better check out all the facts before I go around trying to mend things that might not be broken,' he reasoned starting to wonder if maybe Kate-sensei might have exaggerated a few points here and there so she could move things along faster
"Yep! Sure have!" she replied cheerfully as she took her spot on Aoshi's right and he put his arm around her waist to pull her close
"Very good! Don't let it go to waste Makimachi! Come soon," he instructed as he reluctantly followed Mrs. Kate out of the kitchen. Okon and Omasu began to follow but Mrs. Kate sternly instructed them to remain in the kitchen and when they saw the cozy position Aoshi and Misao were in they quickly changed their minds about following and decided to stay to find out what was going on.
"How did he get in that condition?" Aoshi asked Misao. She explained that an unknown swordsman carrying a strange foreign sword had recently been challenging Master Hiko to fights and seemed to be quite a strong opponent. As they discussed the details of Master Hiko's mysterious adversary they were completely unaware of the hush that had suddenly fallen over the kitchen as all eyes fell on the two of them.
"So! When you two are ready I'm sure we'd all like to know why we have been called into the kitchen this evening," Okina asked amused, speaking for the first time since he'd walked into the kitchen with the others. He had made a quiet entry in order to take in all the details, his intuition had prompted him to leave his Go game early and come home, now it looked like his hunch was about to pay off
"Oh right! Should I or…?" Misao looked inquiringly up at Aoshi then smiled cheerfully at him and to the utter amazement of all present he smiled back.
"Misao and I have decided to marry," Aoshi announced not taking his eyes of his bride-to-be; she joyfully smiled up at him. For a moment there was a stunned silence in the kitchen then suddenly a merry chaos erupted in the kitchen as everyone joyfully congratulated the new couple and began planning and celebrating the impending nuptials…
Master Hiko stopped as he climbed the stairs after Mrs. Kate when the explosion of noise from the kitchen reached his ears.
"So I take it Shinomori finally get his act together?" he asked as they resumed climbing the stairs
"Well, what do you know? The boy does have a brain in that pretty little head of his," she commented sarcastically as they made their way to her room where her medical bag was. He growled angrily but said nothing and Mrs. Kate surmised that he must really be in pain if he wasn't arguing
"To answer your question…Yes, he did and he and Misao will be getting married soon," she replied but Hiko realized that the contemptuous tone she usually reserved for him was absent. She opened the door to her room and lit the lamp, patiently instructing him to sit near the lamp
"Well, I guess there goes another student with good potential," he commented truly disappointed that Misao wouldn't be training with him anymore. Gingerly he removed his shirt and she examined the injuries on his back and chest critically
"Maybe," she replied patiently as the old woman applied a strong smelling ointment to his bruises
"No maybe about it! Once the little weasel starts popping out little Shinomoris there won't be any time for Hiten-Mitsurugi training," he countered dejected as she wrapped a bandage around a cracked rib tightly. He hated to think that he would be the last Seijuro Hiko and that Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu would die with him and Kenshin.
"Well here's a novel idea! Why don't you come down here and continue her training!" she suggested half-mockingly. He just looked at her as though she'd lost her mind. She rolled her eyes in exasperation wondering how come even the most intelligent men could be so dense.
"Correct me if I'm wrong but hasn't Kenshin decided not to pass on the Hiten-Mitsurugi sword style to anyone because of how traumatized he is with what he did with it?" she began and paused so he could respond then at his affirmative she continued
"Well, the members of this household are fighters and have a deep love for martial arts! Even if you can't impart all the Hiten-Mitsurugi principals to Misao I am sure that their union will produce plenty of other martial arts obsessed Shinomoris and at least one of them might be interested in becoming a Hiten-Mitsurugi master! Especially if you become a familiar presence in their household," she explained patiently
"Building a relationship with them now will make them more willing to trust the future of one or more of their children to you later on," she added and it shocked Hiko to hear her soothing tone of voice directed towards him even more surprising was the sympathetic pat on the shoulder as she finished applying the medicine and bandages
"Hmm, I suppose that's something to think about…I come down every other week for supplies and to sell my wares so I suppose…" he considered wondering if the sudden diminishing of the aches and pains in his body had to do with that miracle ointment of hers or the rare little pep talk…
The party continued late into the night but Aoshi and Misao managed to retire fairly early on account of her not sleeping well the night before. Okon had been so happy with the wedding announcement that she didn't even care about the stain on the sleeve of her kimono! The girls had immediately set about planning the details of the ceremony and the party but they were most excited with the prospect of the (hopefully!) many babies that would soon come and were thrilled that Aoshi and Misao had decided not to wait too long to get married!
Aoshi managed to pull Kuro, Shiro and Okina aside to tell them what had transpired at the Haruno's house and given that Mr. Haruno was an old friend of Okina's retaliating in Oniwaban style would prove difficult. It was decided they would leave Okina to come up with a way of dealing with this insult to their leader that would accomplish the task of teaching those two young men a lesson and freeing Sakura from the tight leash her father kept her on. It was something Misao had mentioned she wanted to do but was unable to figure out how on her own.
The two sat by her window looking up at the clear night sky and listening to the merry sounds of the party still going on in the kitchen. Misao sighed contentedly and curled up against Aoshi's chest, his arms wrapped tight around her keeping her warm and cozy. He began his little fact finding mission by verifying whether she allowed Saito to call her weasel-girl or not and when she laughed and confirmed that she had indeed allowed it he felt more at ease about it. He shared with her that he had lunch with some Shinsengumi survivors and was pleased to know that Misao was aware of whom those men were and where they lived even though the only ones she knew well were the Mazaki's, Shuhei and his friend Kuwajiro, Mr. Nagakura and of course Saito and his family.
"You know Mr. Mazaki actually helped us spread the word during the Kyoto Grand Fire incident. He showed up right after Kenshin's letter saying that the old wolf had sent him!" Misao cheerfully explained
"Not surprising given that the Shinsengumi's mission had been to maintain the law and order in Kyoto, I'm sure the survivors must still feel honor bound to continue that mission whenever possible," Aoshi reasoned
"Not only that but remember, Shishio drew his inspiration from the Ikeda-ya incident and that's the raid that made them famous! They'd stopped the first attempt of the Grand Fire back then so it was no surprise Saito and the other wolves wouldn't allow it to happen now!" she added seriously. Aoshi smiled, he was glad that she'd made those connections on her own, he was so proud of her! This brought him to the next point though…
"By the way, the other men of the Shinsengumi, they want to meet you. It seems I wasn't the only one impressed by your actions yesterday at the base; Mazaki wouldn't stop talking about it, in fact! Even Saito was very impressed. It was the main topic of conversation almost all afternoon," Aoshi interjected deciding then that he would leave out his confrontations with Shuhei until he had a chance to talk to the man
"Really?" Misao replied sounding both pleased and surprised and he nodded glad that it was getting easier to smile back at her.
"Yes, there's a party tomorrow in Mibu and Mrs. Tokio and Mrs. Omasa asked me to make sure you'd come," he informed her and Misao was so excited with the prospect of going to a party with the Shinsengumi that he was glad he'd agreed to come. But then again Misao loved parties which meant he could look forward to a lot of social outings he wasn't sure he was looking forward to that part of their relationship. Maybe there's some way to compromise…
"I'm surprised you agreed to go, you don't like parties," she pointed out mystified that he would agree to such an invitation
"You're right but oddly enough I felt rather comfortable with them this afternoon, besides if you come with me tomorrow I'm sure it'll be alright," he explained and she giggled
"Don't worry Lord Aoshi I'll protect you!" she teased but her laughter was swallowed by Aoshi's kisses. The ferocity and possessiveness with which she returned his kiss caught him off guard and when he finally released her it took him a moment to catch his breath. It was surprising how quickly she learned which would only make it more difficult to hold back in the days to come.
'It's gonna be a long month!' he realized as he pulled her tight against his chest again but Misao had insisted on waiting until Sasuke and Naruto finished their training so they could attend and the presence of her friends – especially on an important occasion like their wedding - was something he would never deny her.
"Mrs. Kate wants us to come and spend some time on her ranch right after we get married," Aoshi told her. Misao nodded looking thoughtful for a moment
"Yeah, that would be the best time and I do want to go but I was planning on using the Aoiya's reserves to buy old man Makino's shop next door; he's retiring and going to live with his son in Tokyo, you know; so I want to add it to the Aoiya," Misao explained looking torn between what she desired to do and what she knew the Aoiya's growing business needs
"Oh you can still do that! Kate-sensei made it very clear that we'd be her guests, she will accept no excuses this time," Aoshi informed her, glad that he'd already had this discussion with Kate-sensei
"Well, that doesn't surprise me. Mrs. Kate has a tendency to try and spoil me! Still Aoshi we can't go without…" his fingers touched her lips cutting off her worried reply
"You just let me deal with that!" he declared firmly, she tried to protest but he cut her off again with a light kiss
"I will deal with it, you just think about what you want for the wedding and the trip, I will take care of those other details," he affirmed, for a moment she looked like she was going to protest but the serious look on Aoshi's face made her relent. She reached up to give him a light kiss and smiled
"Ok, you win! I suppose there are other things we need to think about too, like making room in the Aoiya for our growing family," she suggested waiting to see his reaction to the mention of children. He nodded thoughtfully and suggested that the purchase of Mr. Makino's property would give them plenty of room to build.
"If we take down the far wall of my room, we can add several more rooms to the back section of the Aoiya which we can reserve for…" he stopped as a tear ran down her face
"Misao, what's wrong?" he asked alarmed wiping the tear away from her face
"Nothing! It's just…I'm afraid I'm gonna wake up in the morning and it's all gonna be just a dream!" she tearfully explained that every now and then she would have a dream where the two of them would be sitting in her room just like now; talking about the future and then she'd wake up and she'd be all alone in her room with someone banging on her door telling her it was time to get up. He frowned and held her tight; he didn't like thinking that he'd traumatized her to the point where she would consider their current closeness to be possible only in a dream.
"Ok, then let's do this: I will wake you up in the morning and remind you that you promised to marry me in a month's time and I will do that every morning until we get married," he pledged solemnly. She smiled tentatively up at him and he kissed her fiercely hoping somehow to leave her with a lasting impression of his presence in her room.
"You really should get some sleep," he said softly, remembering that she hadn't slept well the night before but he was reluctant to let go
"Don't leave yet…" she whispered tiredly and he held her tight…
They talked for a while longer until finally she fell asleep. He found it quite satisfying that their conversations would no longer be as one-sided as they usually were. As quietly and carefully as he could he placed her on her futon. His eyes cast around her room looking for some way to let her know that he'd been here as soon as she woke.
'Perfect!' he thought as he spotted some brightly colored origami paper and the inkpot, fountain pen and journal he'd brought back from America for her. He opened the journal first and was surprised to find it empty but it seemed that several pages had been ripped off. He made a mental note to ask about that tomorrow as he quietly set about his work. He set his little "prize" on top of the open journal where he wrote a short but sweet note on the first page. Well, as sweet as he knew how, after all this relationship stuff was new to him too!
He watched her sleep for a few minutes then carefully so as to not wake her he left. For the first time since he'd returned he regretted how far his room was from everyone else's. As he walked towards his room he was surprised to find Kate-sensei actually talking quietly with Master Hiko. Well, Kate-sensei was talking and Hiko was listening carefully and attentively looking very much like a student rather than the Master.
'Whoa, you don't see that every day!' he thought not surprised that Kate-sensei had finally worked her unusual magic on Master Hiko. He didn't stop to listen; he didn't want to break the spell Kate-sensei was weaving. It could've been his imagination but Master Hiko looked like a little boy listening to a particularly exciting story. He wondered if he looked that way too when Kate-sensei was teaching him, she had an incredible gift for making the most boring subject sound fascinating.
He stopped at the kitchen where the celebrations had slowed down. He joined Okina as he discussed his plans with Shiro and Kuro to deal with Sutesuke and his best friend's unacceptable behavior and put a halt to their constant mistreatment of the girls. Okina had never interfered with how his friend raised his children knowing how hard it must've been for him after his wife died; even though he disagreed with the unfair treatment his clever and pretty daughter received. But this time his wastrel son had crossed the line and his conduct could no longer be ignored. Once it was agreed that the four of them would set out to the Haruno's early in the morning to have a serious talk with Okina's old friend; he went on to his room.
He finally reached his room and tiredly laid out his bedding. As he lay in bed he found himself for the first time in years looking forward to the future and as he drifted towards sleep he thought he could hear Hannya and the others whispering to each other excitedly…
"This is a dream," he stated as he looked around.He knew it was a dream because first: he wasn't wearing his comfortable yukata anymore; instead he was wearing his ninja uniform and trench coat andsecond: just an instant ago he had been lying in bed thinking happy thoughts of Misao and his future and now he was here. This place had been burned into his memory. This wretched place! This place which had been the site of his most heinous act: The Place of Sight!
He looked with dread up at the cottage. He knew Okina would be in there waiting for him and as was the case with dreams he was transported inside the cottage in the blink of an eye. He had tormented himself with this nightmare often after he returned but it had been a long time since the last time he'd suffered through it.
'Why now?' he thought desperately. He wanted to close his eyes and will himself to wake but it seemed he had no control over himself in this nightmare and became the unwilling audience of this imaginary drama. He had tortured himself for a long time with the questions this dream had posed: What if Misao had arrived before his fight with Okina ended? What would she have done? What would he have done? The terrifying answers to those questions had been laid out in vivid detail for him many times in this nightmare!
Helplessly he watched from the sidelines Okina battle his demonic self as he desperately tried to will himself to wake. Soon he realized that this approach wasn't going to work so he switched to trying to order his demon self to stop, but he had no control over this nightmare. Neither his orders to the demon or his warnings to Okina were heeded. He screamed in helpless rage as the demon finally gained the upper hand and was poised to deliver the final blow. Right on cue Misao slammed open the door and rushed in.
"Stop, Lord Aoshi! Don't do this!" she tearfully begged the demon as she skidded to halt between Okina and Demon-Aoshi. The demon halted in his advance; he was unsure on how to continue in this unusual turn of events, after all even the demon had wanted to prevent her from being harmed in this affair…at first. The demon glared at her but Misao bravely stood her ground with her arms open wide in an attempt to shield Okina with her body.
"Move or you will die," the demon stated calmly but Misao shook her head, tears began streaming down her face. She would not budge!
"Listen to yourself, Lord Aoshi! Do you think Hannya and the others died protecting you so you could become a demon in Shishio's army of chaos!" she yelled at him and Aoshi felt himself collapse slowly to his knees but even that motion had been out of his control, he knew now that there was no way out of this nightmare!
"Very well then…tell me where Himura is," the demon ordered calmly, switching his tactic and obviously deciding that Misao was now one more obstacle to remove in his quest for vengeance
"Please, Misao! Just leave! Just get away as far away as you can!" he pleaded, but she, like the other participants of this nightmare, continued to ignore his pleas. Horror-struck he watched as Misao switched from her shielding stance to the basic martial arts stance that he taught her
"No! I will never betray a friend! And I can't believe that you would betray your friends just to settle a score!" she countered fiercely, her eyes bright from the tears that coursed down her cheeks marring her usually cheerful and bright beauty. Okina placed a restraining hand on Misao's shoulder.
"Misao, don't! He'll kill you! Get out of the way!" Okina begged but she just shrugged his hand away. She kept her gaze fixed on the demon waiting patiently for her to comply and seemed a bit confused with her choice of response. He had relaxed his fighting stance but Aoshi knew how fast the demon's reflexes were, his precious ninja princess wouldn't last long. He knew that from the previous installments of this nightmare!
"You taught me once that the true strength of the Oniwaban lay in the pride and respect its members felt for one another: WHERE IS THE PRIDE IN THIS!" she threw back at him furiously
"I don't expect you to understand so either tell me where Himura is or move out the way," the demon admonished coldly and calmly. Misao glared back at him
"I won't let you betray the sacrifice that Hannya, Chikijo, Hyottoko and Bessimi made to save your life! I understand you better than you think Lord Aoshi!" she declared calmly than moved faster than Aoshi had ever seen her move!
Her foot connected with the demon's stomach and threw him back against the wall; he was caught completely off guard. He got up quickly looking confused and angry. The demon did not like it when someone got the best of him, even if that someone was a little ninja princess that he had trained! Aoshi watched and couldn't help feeling proud as Misao ducked, weaved and with the skill born of being a great thief, avoided being caught by the demon's long and quick grasp. She was doing far better than she'd ever fared against the demon before even scoring a few hits, and she was unarmed!
From her mouth came all the words that Kenshin had used to snap him back into reality but it was no use. In this nightmare there was nothing of Aoshi in the Demon. Aoshi watched helpless from the sidelines, every word from her digging into his heart like knife. On previous occasions he had been able to participate in this nightmare but only as a replacement for Okina and both Okina and Misao disappeared in those instances. He would battle himself endlessly with neither he nor the demon ever gaining an upper hand, until he woke.
'If only I could take her place!' he thought desperately as the demon's kodachi came so close to her skin that it cut off half of her braid and her dark, lustrous hair suddenly flowed around her. The two of them paused for an instant; a ray of sunlight illuminated her face. Her hair framed her face and the sunlight made an ethereal glow around her; the simple beauty in that moment seemed to make even the demon hesitate.
"Misao, you have fought well however it is useless to resist, tell me where Himura is and I will let you and Okina go," the demon graciously offered. Aoshi looked towards where Okina had fallen. He had tried to help Misao but he had not been as light-footed or lucky as Misao and had quickly met the business end of Aoshi's blade. From where Aoshi was, it didn't look like Okina would be going anywhere except the next world. Misao straightened and looked the demon in the eye
"I refuse! I set out on a journey to find my beloved Lord Aoshi and I will not give up until I bring him back!" Misao stated firmly and before the demon could respond she attacked again much faster this time! Aoshi could feel his heart beating wildly as Misao and the demon resumed their dangerous dance. Again she ducked and weaved around him occasionally catching him by surprise; she was doing so well that for a moment he dared to hope that she would actually win! That hope suddenly grew as he realized that this was exactly why he had returned to the Aoiya. The hope that the love and devotion of the one person who cared about him the most would some day help him defeat the demon inside him
Pride and hope turned suddenly to horror and fear as the demon's foot connected painfully with Misao's stomach and her body slammed into a corner of the hut. She managed to keep herself upright but clutched her side protectively her face twisted in pain. Aoshi screamed and again he resumed his attempt to order the demon to stop. Fear held his heart hostage; he couldn't bear to see her die even if it was just a dream
"Will you cease this futile effort now and help me?" asked the demon calmly. Aoshi couldn't see his face because his back was turned to him but he had a clear view of Misao's face, she was trapped in that corner but there was not a trace of fear on her face. She looked up and there was a glint of mischief in her eyes
"No, this is not a futile effort and yes, I will help you," she replied enigmatically, the demon tilted his head slightly in confusion and slowly Aoshi realized that she had not been looking at the demon; when she said that she had been looking at him! She had directed herself at his kneeling, helpless form.
"No Misao! Get out! Get away from him!" Aoshi yelled desperately now that he knew he had her attention. She just smiled and straightened then looked up at the demon
"Then tell me where Himura is," the demon repeated with single-minded focus. She frowned up at him and shook her head
"No, I'm going to help my beloved Aoshi get rid of you!" she announced defiantly to the bewildered demon. Fear and hope were battling inside him; he desperately hoped that this nightmare would just release him and let him wake up. He screamed in rage and sorrow as the demon assumed the stance for the secret double kodachi technique. Misao was cornered…there was no escape
"STOP! STOP!" Aoshi ordered the demon desperately but the demon continued to ignore him. Just as the demon's six strikes landed something amazing happened:
MISAO DISAPPEARED!
Aoshi stared in amazement and let out a deep sigh of relief as he registered what had happened. One of the most basic ninja skills is the ninja art of substitution in which your opponent is fooled into believing that they are attacking you when in fact they are attacking a dummy made to look like you by means of an illusion. He had taught it to Misao himself long ago and she had been very good at it. At the level that the demon was fighting though he never expected that anyone would ever even consider this very basic and simple trick to be of any use against him but Misao proved him wrong.
Aoshi laughed as the demon shredded Misao's jacket and she slithered quickly between his legs and crouched behind him. As his body turned to locate his target who had managed to get the best of him again she kicked out hard and swept his legs out from under him. Because of the angle his body was turned at the time and the nearness of the wall he was unable to attempt rolling off the fall. He tried to catch himself on the wall but Misao sprang up from her crouch and punched in the stomach knocking the air out of him momentarily and he fell flat on his back.
Misao crouched next to him looking winded but triumphant but she was not out of danger yet! The demon recovered incredible fast and was bringing to bear one of his kodachi. Another mysterious ray of sunlight appeared to illuminate her again and he caught a slight glint of metal as her hand slammed against the demon's chest. The demon slumped back down to the ground and his kodachi clattered away from his hands as his grip on them slackened. As Aoshi looked at the demon he realized that the glint of metal had been a kunai. One of Misao's ever-present little knives was now embedded deeply in the demon's chest and his eyes stared lifelessly up at the ceiling. There was a look of mild surprise frozen on the demon's face.
"Well this was quite an interesting event!" said a familiar male voice next to him
"Yes quite!" agreed a familiar female voice and Aoshi turned to look and to his amazement he found Kate-sensei sipping tea with Okina sitting next to him dressed in his everyday brown kimono with the little pink bow tied on his beard even. The lack of life threatening wounds on Okina and the fact that Mrs. Kate had not been in the country at the time was a stark reminder that this was indeed a dream. They smiled cheerfully at him
"Ah, doesn't she look lovely today!" Mrs. Kate-sensei pointed out cheerfully in that little sing-song tone she used when she was happy. He stared at the two old timers as Okina expressed his agreement.
"Well don't look at us dear! She's a far better subject to stare at!" Kate-sensei teased lightly. Aoshi blinked and looked back towards where Misao had been kneeling next to the vanquished demon. She was no longer kneeling; she was walking towards him now. Aoshi looked up and couldn't help the grin that was suddenly plastered onto his face. She was wearing that blue dress he gave her; the very same dress that had haunted his dreams and caused terminal failure on his attempts at meditating the first few days he got back from the USA. He was so glad he no longer had to hide how much he liked seeing her in that dress.
"It's over now! You don't have to fear him anymore!" she said softly as she knelt in front of him. He reached out to pull her into his lap, grateful that his body obeyed him now and happy that she was safe and unharmed.
"I'm so proud of you! Thank you Misao," Aoshi whispered softly feeling suddenly overwhelmed with joy and love for his precious ninja princess' clever triumph
"Thank me for what? I didn't do this, you did, this is a dream remember! I'm just the embodiment of your hopes and dreams. Up until today you had lost all hope and didn't believe in the future so that's why I always died before," she explained calmly as she snuggled into his embrace
"But I want the future you're offering me so much that it overpowered the demon that remained inside me," Aoshi concluded relieved,
"That's right! Your guilt and sorrow made the demon powerful enough to overcome whatever hopes you still had buried deep in your heart," she added happily he smiled finally understanding why he was having this dream now but as he leaned down to kiss her a hand stopped him
"Dear, we need to go!" Kate-sensei announced as she got up and pulled Misao along with her. He got up in an instant!
"Wait! Go where!" he demanded thinking 'damn it! This dream was just about to get good for once!'
"Oh, there's one more thing you need to do but don't worry I'll be waiting for you!" Misao cheerfully called back to him as she disappeared down a long hallway that half the cabin had suddenly turned into. He made to follow but stopped at the demon's lifeless form and removed the kunai that was embedded in his chest. It came out clean and shiny. He smiled again
"Thanks to this kunai I'll never have to fear harming someone I care about again but I'll keep it close to my heart as a reminder of what I became and the love that redeemed me," he affirmed and as he said those words the demon vanished into a cloud of dust and was carried away by a mysteriously well timed breeze that flowed through the room. He stood up again and watched for a moment as the last dust particles dissipated into the abyss of memory and ran down to the end of the hallway to the door where Misao, Okina and Kate-sensei had disappeared into.
He stopped in front of the door. He knew this door; it had been the entrance to the anteroom of the Oniwaban quarters in Kanryu's estate. He'd seen this door in dreams recently. In fact, he'd seen himself barricading this door as if something horrible was trapped within it
"Correction: the demon had been barricading this door! Barricading it to keep hope from destroying him," he concluded as he pushed through the obstacle free door and walked confidently into the room. It was much like he remembered it. A western style table and chairs sat in the center of the room and large windows on the far side of the room filled it with sunlight; to the left was a large door that led outside to a small private courtyard that they used for practice; on the right was a staircase leading up to their living quarters and to Aoshi's private office
"Finally! I thought you'd never get here!" Hannya greeted cheerfully Aoshi just stared in confusion and wondered out loud what they were all doing there to which Hannya replied non-chalantly that they were waiting for him to arrive.
Hannya, Chikijo, Hyotoko and Bessimi were all there sitting around the table smiling at him in much the same way as they had back then when they were waiting for him to give them their orders. He stepped forward trying to think of how he was going to explain what he'd been doing since they've been gone. But as it turned out he didn't have to, they had been watching him
"We were worried about ya, leader!" Chikijo stated gruffly
"Especially when you joined that Shishio guy!" added Hyotoko frowning
"We almost lost you there! I'm glad Himura kept his promises!" Bessimi put in.
"And wasn't our Little Sun just wonderful!" Hannya gushed. Hannya had always had a very soft spot for Misao and Aoshi smiled as they excitedly began discussing the events of the Shishio incident and how proud they were of the Oniwaban's involvement and their new little leader. Finally, Hannya settled everybody down
"Let's get down to business! We're gathered here to issue congratulations to our leader for finally getting off his duff and moving on with his life as we were all hoping he would!" Hannya announced cheerfully. Cheers erupted in the room
"We're glad that you're finally gonna get to be happy Aoshi!" Hannya declared happily and the boisterous and cheerful agreements of the others made Aoshi smile
"Will you look at that? Our little Sun sure has grown!" Chikijo pointed out suddenly looking at a point somewhere behind Aoshi.
'Boy, this dream gets weirder and weirder!' Aoshi thought as he stared in surprise. Half the room had turned into the gardens at the Aoiya. In it were Kate-sensei and Okina chatting cheerfully on a bench, Kuro and Shiro sat on the stone path playing cards as Omasu and Okon picked flowers from the newly bloomed rose bush and cast glances at Misao then giggled conspiratorially. All this he took in on a quick cursory glance but it was Misao who riveted his attention!
With her arms above her head she pirouetted around the garden, laughing and smiling the blue dress billowing around her as she twirled. He smiled and as he watched, all the activity in the garden suddenly ceased. He heard the scraping sound of chairs on the wooden floor as Hannya and the others rose. He saw out of the corner of his eye as they took their places around him. Hannya was on his right with Bessimi standing in front of him and Chikijo on was his left with Hyotoko standing behind him. Misao had stopped dancing and was watching smiling cheerfully at him as she always did but they were all watching him.
"I have to go now," Aoshi said softly realizing they had stopped because they were waiting for him to join in. He felt reluctant to leave yet he didn't want them to feel that he was abandoning them but he knew that eventually he had to let go and the Aoshi Shinomori that he had been then would finally be dead.
"Don't worry about us leader we won't be far! Besides its ok if the old Aoshi, the one filled with regret and sorrow, will be gone our Little Sun needs the new one more!" Hannya pointed out cheerfully patting him on the shoulder in a brotherly manner. Aoshi shook his head not surprised that Hannya had read his mind as he usually had when he was alive
"I'll miss you," he replied sincerely as he turned to look at them. Chikijo's heavy hand landed on his left shoulder.
"Yeah, we'll miss you too but go on and get out of here already!" Chikijo put in cheerfully giving him a small good-natured little push as he removed his hand
"Yeah, go on get married, make babies, grow old and fat and most of all… be happy!" Hyotoko added merrily
"And while I whole-heartedly agree I personally recommend skipping on the "getting fat" part," Bessimi suggested tossing Hyotoko a dirty look. Aoshi laughed and the others joined him. At Hannya's urging he finally stepped back and gave them one last look, smiled and turned to walk towards the Aoiya.
"Aoshi wait!" called out a familiar voice. Aoshi froze and turned around again quickly
"Lord Makimachi!" he exclaimed at loss for what else to say. The old man was standing in the spot Aoshi had just vacated smiling at Aoshi in that mischievous way that had always been his trademark.
"Here don't forget this…" his mentor said handing Aoshi his original kodachi. Aoshi looked at it confused; he never carried his swords these days because he had resolved not to ever become the demon again. Reluctantly, he reached out to take the sword
"It's all you ever needed to protect her smile! You don't need to fear the demon anymore, remember!" he explained laughing cheerfully. Aoshi smiled and bowed then strapped the sword to his side.
"Hurry up already! Go take care of you're ninja princess!" Lord Makimachi encouraged mirthfully.
"Don't you mean our ninja princess?" Aoshi countered confused after all it was Lord Makimachi who had always called Misao little ninja princess. The old ninja laughed.
"Don't you remember Aoshi? It was you who came up with the nick name!" he said and laughed
"I forgot!" Aoshi exclaimed. On the day Misao was born he had called her that because in his mind Misao's parents were king and queen of the ninjas again he smiled. Takeshi and Aiya Makimachi had been beloved by all in the Oniwaban and both had been deeply mourned when they died. Aoshi had felt their deaths most deeply because they had taken him in and cared for him as if he were there own. He heard his name being called cutting off his reminiscence and looked over his shoulder. Misao was waving him over and calling his name he turned back towards his dead comrades
"Don't worry about these guys! I'll take care of them!" Lord Makimachi assured him, that happy smile still on his face. Realizing that all that needed saying was said he bowed and with one last goodbye he ran towards his ninja princess leaving behind the old Aoshi forever.
He picked up his princess in one quick sweep of his arms and kissed her deeply and after that the dream really did get good!
Well that's it! We all know what happens next: And they lived happily ever after!
Well, mostly there's one more adventure coming up and a couple of hurdles for Misao to overcome. Plus, there's still the matter of Aoshi talking to Shuhei and the two of them resolving their little rivalry. There's also the matter of punishing Sutesuke and Kamo so I will be writing one more chapter for this story to wrap up all the loose ends but for all intents and purposes this story is complete!
I will be doing a collection of stories that will be prequels to this one telling stories ranging from when Misao met Mrs. Kate to how her parents died. There might be other half-humorous ones with Kenshin, remember Saito and the Battousai will be attending the same wedding and so will several other wolves! Any suggestions on what you might like to see fleshed out please feel free to let me know.
Autumndays: When my father died five years ago I had not discovered the existence of but that is not to say that I was ignorant of the existence and the power of fan fiction. The many journals and notebooks in my closet filled with my Star Wars fan fics will attest to the fact that it was fan fiction that helped me float above the ocean of grief that his parting created and while it alone by no means was capable of relieving my grief it did give me a few moments of peace. While my pen was poised above that paper and I thought of only how I was going to rescue Luke Skywalker from that mess I had placed him in I could renew my strength and push forward through another day until one day I wouldn't need it. I'm not sure I'm quite there yet so my beloved husband and my beautiful childgive me a few minutes in the day so I can lose myself either on this screen or in my much loved notebooks. With this said if my humble little story has in some small way contributed a few minutes of peace to you then I am both honored and happy. I hope you continue to enjoy and I look forward to your reviews.
Thank you, for reading and reviewing!