Story title: A series of unseen events
Chapter title: Ice Man
Authoress: lilkagome13
Warnings: There will be mild fluff, and some mild cursing. But other than that I feel there is nothing really there to worry on. Although I know in the first chappie there was a lot of OOC'ness. But I think you guys and gals will understand soon.
Couples: Just the usual RK couples. A/M, K/K, S/M, and Y/T
Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin… If I did I wouldn't be writing this fic. So why don't you e-mail me if you own it… I'd 'love' to buy it from you. lol Lawyers… Don't sue me!
A/N: I just started writing this for fun, not really on a deadline, just trying to get out of my recent bout of writers block.
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A Series of Unseen Events: II
Ice Man
Aoshi woke in a cold sweet. It had all just been a dream. He found he was breathing hard and looked back to the door of the temple. It was probably getting dark. He thought to himself. These damned dreams kept him guessing about his own feelings. The un-father-like thoughts were getting to be more and more.
As he stepped out into the cool air he felt himself relax. So-though still tense-walked to the Aoiya. Misao came out the front the second he was coming up to the door. "What took you so long Aoshi-sama?" She asked and he looked at her as if she was a vicious animal, that all he wanted to do was get away from her.
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She looked at him sadly as he walked past her, remaining his 'cool' air about him. He looked to be tense. But then again, how do you know with Aoshi? He always looked tense. She sighed and walked back into the Aoiya.
"Misao! Dinner is ready!" She heard Omasu shout and she looked at her with displeasure. "I think I'm going to go to bed… Tell Jiya I don't feel very well." She said and headed up the stairs. She fell down on her bed the second she got there.
"Tomorrow… I'll deal with him tomorrow." She reassured herself looking out the window. The rain was still falling. She had never seen it rain so much, so fast. It was a wonder the Aoiya wasn't flooded by now.
She looked up at the ceiling. Nothing had changed. She was turning eighteen and nothing had changed. She wouldn't cry though, she wouldn't cry over him again.It was in a way as if the sky was crying for her. Her hand came to rest by her face.
You see it had all started a week ago…
-Flashback-
Misao sat alone in Jiya's garden. Her eyes closed as she listened to the chirping of the many lingering birds.
She heard the footsteps… But she decided not to turn. She looked up at the sky, watching the stratus clouds move along the sky slowly as the wind blew. "Misao." He said and she didn't even look back.
"Aoshi-sama." She said and he came up near her. "What is it you want?" She asked fiddling with her braid. "Misao… chan." He stopped for a moment then sat down before her. "You are growing older, it is time you make some changes in your life, is it not?"
He asked her as if he wasn't truly sure himself. She nodded, hoping she wouldn't regret it. "There are many young men who would be grateful to have you as a wife… Do you not agree?" He said and her head snapped up. He couldn't be! She told herself.
"You will need to be getting married soon to find someone as your equal… Who will help you lead the Onawabanshuu, you need someone who will take care of you as well." He said and she looked at him funnily.
"Can you not do as much?" She asked him and he looked at her rather plainly. "No Misao! I cannot!" He said and she almost teared up right then and there. But she didn't want to appear weak in front of Aoshi. So she held it in.
"I do not need! And I will not get married! Not now! Not ever!" She screamed and Aoshi winced slightly, but of course he held it off enough that she couldn't see. She ran off then, leaving him behind in his thoughts.
-End-
As far as she was concerned, everything had gone back to normal, except the occasional him calling her 'Misao-chan' it seemed as if her life was the same. Except to her. She was already thinking about leaving… So now what would happen?
She found herself lost for words as she saw the beads on her bed. She was held spellbound by the colors they held, the colors seemed sharp and subtle compared to any she had ever seen. She picked them up and looked at them. They seemed to be prayer beads.
'Who has prayer beads?' She asked herself. Maybe they were Aoshi's… "No they couldn't be why would he be in my room?" She said aloud and went back to looking at the ceiling, pleading in the darkness that he would one day not see her simply as his ward.
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Aoshi sat beside Kenshin and Sanoske. He looked back to the door. Omasu walked in and took a seat whispering something into Okina's ear. Something was definitely going on here. He thought to himself.
"So… Aoshi-sama, how have you been?" Asked Kaoru in a very polite voice. If you asked him he'd say too polite. "Fine." He answered simply and Okina looked at him weirdly.
Yahiko looked up from his seat beside Tsubame. "Where's Misao?" He asked the question on everyone's mind. That was the way of young ones. They could ask questions without a second thought. And never think of what problems it would bring forth.
"Good question, where is the weasel?" Said Sanoske and the rest of them all looked to Okina. "She is not feeling well, and decided to go to retire early." He said and the rest of them continued eating their meal, but not without their rising suspicion.
Aoshi looked to the door once more and seemed to be thinking on something rather hard. It wasn't too unusual for Aoshi to do this, so none of them really paid any mind.
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Misao woke early in the morning and walked down the stairs to the front door. She needed to get some fresh air to clear her mind of thoughts of Aoshi. Something seemed to stir in the air though. It seemed thick and her breathing become more even.
A small black figure stood at the edge of the small garden. She gasped as it came towards her. "Makimachi Misao… I have been waiting for you." Came its smooth voice. "Who are you? And how do you know my name?" She asked, and she was surprised her voice had not quivered in the slightest.
"I am only here to tell you what it is you seem to be forgetting…" He said and she took a step back. "I'm not forgetting anything!" She screamed and she saw a white light come over her body.
She saw images of her as a child… And Aoshi… She held back her tears, as she saw her journey again. So much pain, so much misery… She couldn't take back what she knew she didn't want to. Her heart wanted to feel guilty! For without guilt she felt nothing! No longer the warming touch of Aoshi filled her.
"Stop! Please." Came her voice through a sob. She didn't want to see anymore. She didn't want to love him! She couldn't any longer. She was just making it harder on herself anymore.
The creature let her fall to the ground and stepped forward, until it was standing directly in front of her. "You know your journey is over… Give up and come with me." He said and she looked up, tears streaming down her pale face.
What she saw she would never forget, his eyes, in them she could see the terror of the many lives he had stolen. He must have killed hundreds… She found herself staring at the white face. It was so white that he thought it might just be paint… But it was not. There was an awful stench and she found herself fighting not to vomit. His hands were covered in thick leather gloves and hung carelessly at his side.
"Wha-what are you?" She screamed out coming to her feet again. "I am not a thing… I am a part of you… You will soon find that you too are a part of me." His voice came and she backed away again, afraid to touch the rotted flesh of the creature before her.
She turned and ran she ran as fast as she could. Her eyes not looking back at the creature steadily approaching her, she could hear his breathing and she tried desperately to reach the Aoiya, but she didn't seem to be moving at all. "Please! Let me go!" She cried out, her tears falling to the hard cold ground below her.
"But you see I cannot, you are the only one able to bring us back." He said and she looked up at him. "What does that mean?" She asked and he looked at her mildly amused. "You are a Makimachi… You are the key." He said and she gasped.
"What's going on here?" Asked someone from the entrance of the Aoiya. The creature hid its face and left in the other direction. Misao's tears fell much more now. She found herself lifted from the ground by someone. She didn't even bother looking up.
"What's wrong?" Someone asked from the door, but once more she didn't move nor say anything. She was consumed by her past, and her fear.
"It's the weasel, I think something's wrong with her." She heard someone say and then she felt the person move.
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"Do you think she's going to be ok?" Asked Kaoru to Kenshin. "It all depends on her, that it does." Kenshin told her hugging her as she cried.
Aoshi sat by the window; glaring at the spot they had found her earlier. 'Something must have happened!' He told himself and looked to spot that she lay now. Her eyes were closed, but fresh tears streaked her face. Her chest rose and fell, her breathing seemed labored though.
"Any idea what happened?" Asked Omasu looking to Sanoske. "No… by the time I got to her she was like this, but I could swear I originally saw someone out there with her." He spoke looking down at her, rather sadly.
"Well, her fever just seems to be growing worse and worse." Okina said looking at her in fear. He knew only one creature that could do this. And it was not a good one. He looked back to the others hoping that they would not blame him for what inevitably may happen. He needed to find the creature before it could do her more harm!
"I'm going out." He said and left them all to only worry and wonder on what was going on.
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Her head was pounding, what was this strange feeling? She felt as if the world around her would crash the minute she opened her eyes. Her ears only caused her to hear a loud buzzing. She brought her hand up to one of them and heard someone yell.
Something told her to just stay the way she was. She didn't want to be hurt again… Not again! Her eyes came open slowly and she found herself looking at Kaoru.
"She's awake!" She screamed and everyone came in the room. Misao's eyes never left them, but she didn't say anything either. She didn't know what to do… Her head kept telling her to say something… anything… But nothing came out. She felt the tears start to fall again and she sobbed into her pillow.
When did things become this hard? She had no idea. They had all left to the hallway just a moment before; she knew they were going to talk about her. But for some reason she didn't care. Her heart wouldn't let her care.
"Misao?" Came Kaoru's voice. She looked at her after a moment and realized just how much her past hurt her. Kaoru… She was so much purer… She didn't deserve to know someone like her. She looked at her and frowned.
"I shouldn't have lived." Misao said simply and looked at the one person who could take away all her fears. The one person, who stood at her window, the one person who wouldn't have her, It was Aoshi… Her Aoshi.
She stood slowly making sure her muscles could handle the strain of walking. "I'm fine… I just need to walk it off." She reassured Kaoru, but she didn't buy it. Something was going on, something that was changing her from her normal energetic girl into this shell… Like a walking corpse…
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Something was definitely wrong with her. Aoshi assured himself as she poured his tea. Not one word came out her lips as she sat there, clearly deep in though… But thought of what? That was what he wanted to know. It frustrated him to no end, not being able to know what she was thinking.
"Misao… Are you sure your ok?" He asked and she looked up. "I am fine." She said and he looked at her. Her eyes looked darker than normal, her face growing paler.
It had been two days since the incident and she wasn't getting back to her old self. What she had said when she first woke haunted him. How could she believe she should've died? It just wasn't right! She deserved to live more than he had a right to!
What had made her believe that? That was the only thing she wanted to know. His eyes gazed over her body yet again, and he found it no different then before. He was for some reason wishing that this was just one of his dreams… That he would wake up and find it wasn't real.
She stood and left and he was left to himself. Something was going on… Someone had said something to her! That had to be it!
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Kaoru found herself sitting in Misao's office… What was it about this room that drew her to it? She wanted the answer to that question desperately… But for some reason she was haunted by something in this room.
As she picked up another book, a piece of paper fell out the bottom. "What's this?" She asked and looked down at it.
Rose
I'm the rose,
You hold so close.
I'm the rose,
You never chose.
I'm the rose,
That you picked long ago.
I'm the rose,
That you somehow let go.
I'm the rose,
That you don't want to know.
I'm the rose,
That won't let you go.
I'm the rose,
That no one knows.
I'm the rose,
And I'm going to close.
I'm the rose,
That's wilting away.
I'm the rose,
I'm fading away.
Kaoru read it over and over, hoping that her assumptions were wrong… But they weren't, she truly felt she didn't have a right to live! But it wasn't true. It was anything but true. She needed him to look at her that way. And Kaoru was going to help her. She vowed to do it.
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Misao stood washing dishes in the kitchen, to tell you the truth; there really was nothing wrong with her. She didn't want to draw attention to anyone… She had to kill the one who tried to corrupt her mind. Not that he hadn't succeeded in a way, she no longer had the hyper personality she had for the majority of her life.
She sat down in a chair, leaning her back on it in a way to soothe her aching muscles. She smiled at the thought of Aoshi-sama. He had looked slightly worried today. She laughed at the mere thought of it. Seems like 'ice man' was growing less ice and more man. She looked out the window and into the garden.
"Something has to be done." She said, her face shadowed by the worlds growing darkness. "That man… He's the one-…" She cut herself off and looked to the door, where the growing sound of footsteps could be heard.
"Aoshi-sama!" She said as he came in. Her smile looked less forced than earlier, but still somewhat so. She laughed as he quirked an eyebrow. "Is it so un-common for me to do the dishes?" She asked and he looked at her with an awkward smile on his face.
"Yes it is…" He replied and she scowled. "Shut up!" She screamed and he smirked. "When you find out how… I shall learn too." He said and she rolled her eyes. "You know I liked it better when you were quite." She said and he laughed.
"Of course you did." He said and she growled in frustration. "I like you more now that you're temperamental." He said and she smirked. "Oh I bet you do!" She said and he walked out of the room. Things were definitely changing around here. Even Omasu and Okon were changing…
She looked at the ceiling willing it to change the world back to its previous state… She despised change! Ever since she was little she had… So why now was she changing? She didn't know… Her eyes caught the faint glimmer of something outside. "Oh. My. God." She said and jumped out of her chair…
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A/N: I'm sorry I didn't get a chapter up for so long… But my grandmother is in the hospital… In a coma… Yeah… Well enough of mystupid crazylife…luv ya, ttfn.R&R
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