Onset

By: NonameJane

Disclaimer- Nope, not mine!

Ch3 To Whom I Can Associate

It was a new day, a few solitary, thin, feathery clouds glided through the blue morning sky. A light, cooling breeze remained silent in the air creating a pleasant tug to the long braid of a young girl.

Misao made her way to the temple in a cheerfully, concentrating on maintaining the balance of the tray griped in her hands. It proved to be a task while navigating through the city crowds.

Kyoto seemed to have awakened after a long sleep, alive, thriving, with merchants and customers. Both seemed lighter in mood and spirit, an almost euphoric was grin lamented on their faces. The rain, heat, and gloomy overcast of the past days were almost worth this pleasantry

No one complained.

She met her destination with a smile. Misao carefully removed her shoes, still holding the tray steadily and gracefully within her fingers.. She had mastered this.

Continuing her way through the temple she saw a few familiar monks meditating, humming a low throaty chant. She bowed quickly, and silently in respect and headed on.

Misao arrived at Aoshi's usual chamber and patiently waited for his usual invitation before joining him. She was stood quietly, her eyes blinking to adjust to the sudden darkness.

" Misao." He called softly.

On muted feet, she crept to Aoshi's side, lowering herself to her bare knees. She placed the tray on the floor, adjusting her legs to sit more comfortably, her usual attire not cooperating with the hardness of the floor. Misao settled crossing her legs Indian style.

Her shifting ceased and set herself to the task of arranging the supplies in a neat, precise, order. The way she knew her Aoshi-sama liked it . She quickly picked out two cups, sitting them side by side.

She risked a glance at him behind her lashes, taking in the usual frown on his face.

" Quite a beautiful day, isn't it Aoshi-sama? It's so sunny and the breeze feels nice."

He nodded slowly, releasing out a grunt.

She poured tea into his cup first, handing it to him, and then into her own. He lowered his head in thanks after taking it and then sipped. Misao followed suit.

" You're welcome, Aoshi-sama!" She quickly jumped to her feet, placing the cup back on the vacant tray.

" Oh, I almost forgot! I can't stay any longer, Aoshi-sama. Sorry, I need to buy a whole bunch of tofu. I missed it the other day when I went shopping. It's demand has become pretty high, the customers seem to love how we're preparing it."

Aoshi looked up at her coolly, also setting his cup to his side.

" Alone?"

Misao smiled down at him, happily. " No, Akira will be coming too."

" Akira?" Aoshi said sedately, his voice not hinting any noticeable surprise.

" You don't remember, Aoshi-sama? He was the guy who passed out on our doorstep the other day. I talked to him a little bit yesterday and he's really nice. But we all kind of felt sorry for him..." She trailed off.

Aoshi reached for his tea cup and took another sip.

" Why so?"

"He said he's got nowhere to go, that he has no family or friends." She paused for a moment, the

corner of her eyes catching the movement of a stray bird. Aoshi had noticed it too. "He said he was traveling, looking for work before we found him unconscious. Jiya took pity on him and said he could stay for a little, as long as he made himself useful. Or, at least, got on his feet. That's the reason he's still here."

Aoshi stared at her, a silent request for her to continue.

" Well, he offered to help me today, saying all those tofu buckets were just too heavy for someone to carry by themselves. "

"Aa."

Misao took a few steps on her feet and turned to face Aoshi. " I'll leave the tray here with you so you can drank as much tea as you want. See you later, Aoshi-sama!"

She made had just reached the sanctuary's exit when Aoshi's voice stopped her.

" Misao."

" What is it?" She looked at him with a side glance, half of her facing him and the other the doorway. Her blue eyes brightened with interest.

His cold eyes softened a moment with the distinct tender touch of gentleness. " Be careful there."

Misao's grin widened, and she shook her head happily. " Thanks, I will."

And with that she ran off.

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Akira wasn't kidding, the buckets of tofu were quite heavy. Even though she was carrying only one, and he, being a gentleman, took to carrying three; they were very heavy nonetheless. Misao was just relieved having him there.

They made their way slowly through the crowds downtown. The whole trip had been interesting, really. The two indulged in small talk, chatting about this and that. Misao was just happy he was polite and nice; it seemed she had made a new friend. She welcomed his opinions when she asked him questions. It gave a new point of view and outlook on her usual thoughts on things.

" Whew, almost there...let's take a small break, I'm so beat." Misao lowered her hands to place the tofu on the street but was abruptly halted by a soft voice.

" I don't think we should stop, Misao-san. We may not want to move again if we do." He chuckled mildly, " We should probably continue."

Misao sighed, " I guess so, but I'm am really tired. Ugh...I wish we could just get there quicker..."

" Perhaps a shortcut then?" Akira suggested, his eyes turned toward the clear sky.

She made a sour face, " Now why didn't I think of that? Hmph. I was so busy complaining that I didn't even think about it."

She mumbled a moment to herself, " There are so many to take, which one?"

Misao's eyes searched through the moving sea of people on the street, trying to decide her path.

Akira's slate-colored eyes followed, watching her every glance.

" Here!" Misao exclaimed happily, pointing with her free hand to an alley between two inns.

" All right then." He turned to follow her form disappearing into the alley shade.

The passage was narrow, forcing them to walk in a line. Misao was in front, making her the first to navigate her way through it. He followed closely behind her.

" This should cut a bunch of time off . We should get to the Aoiya pretty soon this way."

Akira nodded, his hair swaying as he did so, " I'm glad, this is much more exercise than I am used to. I must be out of shape."

Misao giggled, but was quickly stopped by a form in front of her. Her face quickly turned to an angry scowl.

A man stood before her, clutching a tanto. His face was covered in scars, one over the left eye was especially noticeable. The eye was closed shut. His hair was put up in a messy ponytail, the grease apparent even in the alleyway.

" What do you want?" Misao shouted, angry that she hadn't picked up on his presence beforehand.

The thug chuckled bitterly, " You mean what do we want?" He gestured behind her with the tanto.

Misao turned her head back, making sure to keep her body facing the man in front of her just in case he decided to attack. She wasn't foolish enough to turn her back to him, her Aoshi-sama had taught her to never do so in the presence of an enemy.

Akira stood very still, looking unsure what to do. They were trapped. The man to the back of them unsheathed his katana. The blade glowed ominously as Misao's eyes hardened at the weapon..

" I'm sure you two would like to go on your way," the voice called, " Just hand over all you got and you can. That simple." He was just as ugly as the first, but bald and a tad overweight.

" Look, we don't have anything , and if we did we wouldn't give it to you." She spat, glaring at the man before her with distaste.

" The young lady thinks she's cute." He connected eyes with his companion, " What should we do with her?" His head shook almost mockingly." Excuse me, I mean them both ?"

The other grinned. " Kill them."

Akira, eyes wide, looked towards Misao. " This looks bad."

AN- Thanks again, sueb262! I probably more than exaggerated with the tofu weight.