Author's Notes: Yay! Another chapter up! One more…which is part way written, to go! It should be up by tomorrow! A bit behind schedule, but that's okay! Hope you enjoy, and don't forget to…

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Disclaimer: I do not any of the Rurouni Kenshin characters. I do own the idea to this story though, and I do hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've liked writing it.

Chapter 5: AnotherYear, Another Secret Admirer Note

:---:

It had started raining, and she was soaked through. Since the sun had been out, and the air warm, she hadn't brought an umbrella with her, which wasn't all that strange. She never took an umbrella anywhere.

'What happens if it isn't him? What am I going to do?' Misao thought. 'I saved my letter for tonight.'

'Just go to his house and give it to him if this isn't him.' Misao thought as she walked down the road leading to the temple.

'It has to be. He's the only one that would ask me to come to the old temple. He's the only person I know who uses it.' She stopped as she came to the entry of the temple. She took a quick look around the courtyard and hurried through the tall entry and into the temple.

:---:

He was sitting in his meditating stance when he felt her ki and saw her running through the downpour that had started just a few minutes ago. He smiled. She never had an umbrella with her when it rained. Well, actually as he thought of it, she never took an umbrella anywhere with her. She always liked the rain.

:---:

"Are you crazy!" he yelled after her.

"Why do you ask?" She asked turning around.

It was close to midnight. They had been watching movies in the TV room that night. There were about eight of them, the usual crowd of friends that went to someone's house every Friday night to do something, or go out. This week it was his house, and they were watching movies. She had slipped out in the middle of the movie. He hadn't thought much of it, she's gone to get a drink or use the restroom most likely. When she hadn't come back in a few minutes he had gone to check on her. He found her in their backyard. At first he had just stood there watching her, then sense had come to him.

"You're going to get sick if you stand out here much longer!" He yelled over the sound of the rain.

"Nope! I do this all the time, and I never get sick!" She said, laughing as she spined around.

"You are crazy. If you get sick, don't blame it on me."

"Why would I do that? It's my choice if I want to stand out here." Misao said.

"Why would you want to stand in the rain?" He asked, coming up to her.

"Doesn't it feel great. I love the way it feels when I tilt my face towards the sky and rain falls down on me. It's…soothing." She responded.

:---:

'She was right. It was soothing. It washed all his secret thoughts away, made him realize life was worth living, of course, she had made life worth living for as well.' Aoshi thought as he heard her coming up the steps.

"Hello Misao-chan." He said, his eyes closed, as she came into the room.

"Aoshi-kun!" Misao said his name a little louder than she wanted it to. She wasn't sure if she was surprised to actually see him there, or just startled that the moment she had walked into the room he had known she was there. Was she that loud?

"You seemed surprised. Surprised to see me here? I thought you would have figured out who it was by the time you got here." He said, standing up and facing her.

"I didn't want to jinx it." Misao blurted out when she saw the look on his face. "Oh, what I mean is that I didn't want to think it was you, then have it be someone else, that would just be embarrassing." Misao rambled on.

"Shh. It's okay." Aoshi answered.

"Why here?" Misao asked, taking a look around the temple. It was the same as the last time she had been here. She had followed Aoshi one day after school, to see where he was going. And she had wanted to talk to him.

"It seemed an appropriate place." Aoshi answered.

"I haven't been here in a long time. It's still the same as that day." Misao said, walking to the balcony and looking out into the rain.

:---:

"Aoshi-kun, where are you going?" Misao said to herself as she followed Aoshi down the road. "You've not been yourself lately, what's happened to you? Do you blame yourself? You shouldn't." Misao said as they approached the temple. 'A temple? What are you doing here?'

She waited a few minutes, then as quietly as she could, went through the courtyard and through the temple, slowly looking for Aoshi. When she found him he was kneeling in the sunlight, the balcony doors open to let in the warm sunlight.

"Misao-chan."

"Aoshi-kun!"

"How would you not have known I knew you where there? We've had the same training."

"Yeah, well I tried my best I guess. You caught me, like usual!" Misao said, walking into the room, and kneeling next to him.

"Why did you follow me here?" Aoshi asked from his spot. He looked so peaceful, his eyes where closed and his face blank.

'What are you thinking Aoshi-kun?' Misao thought to herself. "Well, um…"

"Just tell me the truth, you were never a great liar."

"You've just seemed so, out of it lately. You have not been yourself at all, I guess I was just worried that you weren't taking things well." Misao answered, her eyes closed and her head bowed.

"I guess I haven't been. They were great men. They shouldn't have died that way, that early." Aoshi said, thinking of their four training partners.

Since the fourth grade, Aoshi and Misao had started taking Ninja lessons from Misao's grandfather. Aoshi hadn't known it was Misao's grandfather until she walked into the dojo that first day of class. There were four others that had joined, Beshimi, Hannya, Hyottoko, Shikijou, who were a couple years older then Aoshi and Misao. The six of them had become very close over the years of the training, the five boys, doting and bringing Misao up practically. It had crushed both of them when the four boys where killed in a car accident. A drunk driver hadn't stopped for the red light, Hannya, who had been driving, not being able to stop fast enough. Aoshi hadn't been able to do anything, even though he had been driving the car behind them.

"Yes, it was too early for them, but you can't beat yourself up about it like this either. They would have wanted you too live. Not to die along with them." Misao said quietly.

:---:

"You saved me that day. I was about to give up on life. It's hard to believe that it was about a year in a half ago." Aoshi said quietly.

"I…I saved you?" Misao asked, turning to look at him.

"Hai. You made me realize that I wouldn't have been able to do anything. I was the first on the scene as it was. You also made me realize that there are others that need me here. And that I need them in my life." Aoshi said standing up. "Come with me. This was just a meeting spot." He asked holding out his hand to help her up. It would sound like a demand from anyone else, but with Aoshi's quiet demeanor, she knew if she didn't want to go, she didn't have to.

"Hai. Where are we going?"

"Somewhere."

"And as usual you are as vague and mysterious as anyone could be." Misao said following Aoshi out of the temple, Aoshi picking a basket up as he left, along with his trench coat. It had stopped raining and the sun was brightly shining.

After about a half hour they came to the spot where Aoshi had picked out earlier that week. It was about 6:30, and the sun was setting. It was in the park, a nice grove of Cherry Blossom trees along the river.

"Aoshi-kun! It's beautiful!" Misao squealed.

"I'm happy that you like the spot." Aoshi answered, taking a blanket out of the basket, then laying the food out as Misao explored the area, jumping from tree to tree, and walking around the edge of the river and the bridge that crossed it, looking at the sunset.

He remembered the first time he fell in love with her. "Misao?" He asked, seeing if she would remember the time and place, without knowing that was the time he fell for her. Forever.

"Yes Aoshi-kun?" Misao said. She was standing on the bridge, the sun glowing behind her. She looked beautiful, stunning.

"Do you remember the Cherry Blossom Festival we went to in 8th grade?"

"Yeah! We went as a big group. That was the year we started going every year, all of us, without any adults to watch over us. They thought we were finally old enough."

'You do remember then.' Aoshi thought as Misao made here way over to where he was just finishing setting up their dinner.

:---:

"Misao, would you like it? It's very pretty." Aoshi asked as he looked over Misao's shoulder at the vendor's stand. She wore a Kimono that night, like Kaoru, Megumi and Tsubame. She looked beautiful in it, the green and blues of the seascape matched her eyes perfectly.

"Oh! Aoshi-kun!" Misao said, turning around suddenly. Doing this, she lost her balance, and would have knocked down the stand if Aoshi had not caught her. "Uh, umm, thank you Aoshi-kun."

"Did you want the haircomb Misao?" Aoshi asked again.

"No. I was just admiring it. It is very pretty. I don't have use for anything like that though." Misao said, taking one last look at the comb, and wandering down the street again, to the shop Kaoru and Megumi, Tsubame and Yahiko where.

"Bye! See ya tomorrow!" Misao said, waving good-bye to everyone as she went in the direction of her home.

"Misao-chan." Aoshi said from behind her.

"Oh! Aoshi-kun! You keep scaring me! You were always able to walk and move more quietly than I was. I was never able to perfect it!" She said.

"Yes, I believe that you amount of energy might have something to do with that though." Aoshi said, starting to walk in the direction of her house.

"Where are you going Aoshi-kun?" Misao asked, running to catch up with him, which was difficult to do in a Kimono and flip flops.

"I promised Okina that I would walk you home since it would be after dark."

"Oh, I see. Thank you, he didn't tell me." Misao said. 'Lecherous old man' she thought to herself.

"Don't worry. I made sure he wasn't thinking of doing this other than your safety in the streets after dark.

"Thank you though. I was actually a bit apprehensive about it." Misao said quietly.

"It's okay. I understand." Aoshi said, slipping his hand around hers. He looked over at her and saw the faint blush that tinted her cheeks.

They had almost reached the gate to the Ayioa. His heart started to beat faster. Aoshi looked down at Misao, for the first time since he had known her, she looked nervous. 'Why is my heart beating so fast?'

'You don't want to say good-bye to her. That crush you've had on her? It's changing now Aoshi Shinomori. Your just realizing it now.'

'Shut up! It's Misao! I've known her half my life!' They were at the gate to the Ayioa.

"Well, we're here. Thank you Aoshi-kun. I feel much better having had someone to walk with." Misao said.

"Yes, it was nice, wasn't it? Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow right?"

"Yep! Have a good night Aoshi." Misao said, entering through the gate.

"Oh! Misao!" Aoshi said, stopping Misao just as she was going to close the gate. "I almost forgot, I got you something, here. You can open it later, or whenever. I hope you like it! 'Night!" Aoshi said, walking off down the street.

'You love her Aoshi.'

"Yes, I do love her." He said out loud to himself.

Back in Misao's room, she sat down on her futon, and carefully unwrapped the tissue paper that was around the gift Aoshi had given her. Laying in the snow white paper was the haircomb she had admired earlier. 'Oh! Aoshi-kun. You bought it for me.' Misao thought. She lightly traced the jade and mother of pearl that outlined the see and sky on the top of the comb. 'I'll treasure it forever because you gave it to me.'

:---:

"Dinner?"

"Yep. It is Valentine's Day." Aoshi said, looking up at her.

"Oh, yeah, I kinda forgot."

"It is customary to treat the one you love to dinner, sweets, flowers…"

"Aoshi-kun?"

"Hm?"

"'The one you love?'" Misao asked, looking up at him.

"Hm, we'll talk more about that later."

"No. Let's talk now, not put it off any longer." Misao said firmly.

"Okay." Aoshi said, once again, bringing something out of the basket. "Here, open this." He said, handing her a tiny box.

"What is it?" Misao asked, taking it from him.

"A…collection of mine. Just open it." He said as he watched Misao take the lid off of the small box. Misao started going through the little pieces of paper that had been laid neatly in the box, one on top of the other. She let out a little gasp after she realized what they where.

"Aoshi…you saved all of them?" In the box laid every single Valentine Misao had given him, from 1st grade, until last years.

"Hai. I cherish every single one of them. The baka Rooster head found them one time. That was hell on earth." Aoshi said, falling back to look at the now clear sky, full of stars.

"Your missing one though." Misao said, handing him the box, with the lid placed back on it.

"Hai, I noticed that too. Do you have it with you?" He asked.

"Hai. But lets wait until after we eat." Misao said, starting to eat the meal that had been laid in front of them.

:---:

"Lets go for a walk. I have somewhere I'd like to take you." Misao said, standing up and holding out her hand for Aoshi to take.

"Where are we going?" Aoshi asked.

"Somewhere." Was all she said.

A few minutes later they appeared at a bridge that crossed over the bridge, a hill leading to the river. Misao sat down next to the river, laying back on the slope of the hill.

"This is the spot where you wanted to take me?" Aoshi asked, sitting down next to her.

"Yep." Misao said sitting up.

"But we pass here everyday walking home from school." He said, looking over at her.

"But this spot is special. To me." Misao answered, taking something out of her pocket. "Here."

"This years?"

"Hai. It is. It's a special one this year though." Misao said, laying down again.

Aoshi opened the envelope, carefully taking out the Valentine. He had to smile when she said it was a special one, everyone she had given to him was special.

Aoshi

Thank you so much for being there for me. Your quiet strength has support me more times than you think. You never ramble on like I do, saying things that you don't mean to say, or do things that you regret like I do. I guess that is one reason why I love you so much, all of those are reasons why I love you. I don't know when it started to turn to love, but it was always at that spot by the bridge we walked by daily going and coming from school. And I always am reminded of you, and the love I have for you there.

Misao-chan.

Aoshi finished reading the note. He looked over at Misao. In the few minutes he had been reading the Valentine, she had fallen asleep. He slipped the note into his jeans pocket, took his jacket off, slipped her onto the jacket to protect her clothes from the grass and laid down next to her, propping himself up on his elbow.

'She looks absolutely beautiful.' Aoshi thought as he brushed her bangs away. He laid down, pulling her close within his embrace. "I love you to Misao. You've saved me, captured me with your energy, warmth and laugh, made me enjoy life."

Misao smiled, her eyes still closed, buried herself in his warmth, wrapped her one arm around his waste, like he was holding her.

"Hai." She simply said.