Disclaimer - I own Rurouni Kenshin! Yes, and I'm also the dictator of this world!
For any of you who misunderstand my sarcasm, I am not the owner of Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin...
Anyways, I got so few reviews for the last chapter...it's depressing...but I got some reviews, so I'm not going to complain that much!
Bradybunch4529 - I'm glad you like the twists and swirls of my fanfiction, because believe me, I always add the strangest ones...and you'll find some pretty big ones towards the end! Thanks for reviewing!
kawaii sakura-chan - Yes, in this chapter you do figure out the connection between Saitou and Miyana, as well as the connection between Hiko and Miyana! Throughout the story, you'll see a few flashbacks about this, so keep reading! Thanks so much for the review!
WhiteRabbit5 - Yes, I do love adding plot twists. However, next chapter (or the chapter after that) Kaoru and Aoshi will meet for the first time...so that plot will finally come out. I'm a romance nut, so no matter what, you'll see romance in my stories, but I warn you, the Aoshi Kaoru one will be slow. After all, how easy is it to convince someone that love actually exists? Thanks for reviewing!
Alright, so here's the next chapter...hope you like it!
HOW IS THIS LOVE?
"HE'S COMING TODAY!"
Okita covered his ears as they stood a hundred feet away from the Aoiya. Enishi and Sanosuke both cringed, and Kaoru and Megumi both laughed slightly.
"Is there any chance that that yell wasn't Misao?" asked Enishi sarcastically.
"Only the weasel girl can yell that loud, so stop wishing" muttered Sanosuke. "This is going to be a long day…ever since yesterday, the Aoiya has become my most hated place…"
"I still can't believe that you and Megumi have been dating for two months, and you never even told us!" said Okita angrily, despite the smile on his face. "Why didn't you tell us?"
"Well, I was afraid that Sanosuke would just dump me like he dumped that huge slew of girls in high school, so I decided to give him a two-month trial period" said Megumi with a laugh.
"And now I've shown you how much I've matured!" replied Sanosuke triumphantly. Okita, Enishi, Megumi, and Kaoru took one look at Sanosuke before they burst out into laughter.
"You? Mature?" yelled out Enishi, trying to keep his cool but failing miserably.
"Oh rooster, you really do crack me up!" said Megumi with a laugh.
Kaoru and Okita managed to pull the door open to the Aoiya before collapsing onto the floor in laughter. Suddenly, a tremor ran through the house as Misao flew down the stairs.
"Aoshi-sama's coming today!" shrieked Misao happily, hugging all five of the newcomers as tightly as she could. "Aoshi-sama's coming today!"
"Obviously you're excited" muttered Enishi.
"What was that?" asked Misao.
"Oh, nothing" replied Enishi with a smile.
"Anyways, Jiya said we could pick him and Kaya-san up, so which of you brought cars?" asked Misao excitedly.
"I brought one" replied Okita with a smile.
"I brought another one" said Enishi. "And while lucky Okita came by here all by himself, I was stuck with these three" he muttered darkly, pointing to Kaoru, Sano, and Megumi.
"Hey, what was wrong with us?" asked Kaoru and Megumi.
"Fine, you two were tolerable, but the rooster wouldn't shut up!" replied Enishi.
"Admit it Enishi! You're just jealous of me" said Sanosuke with a grin. Enishi rolled his eyes and muttered "As if" under his breath, causing Sanosuke's eyebrow to twitch ever so slightly.
"Alright, well, let's go!" shrieked Misao excitedly. "Who's going in which car? Oh, Okita, I'll come along with you! But we have to stop by the café on the way! I want some coffee, and I could drink four of those cappuchinos now!" She bounced away after Okita as the others watched her in horror.
"If she's sane now, imagine what four cups of coffee would do to her" muttered Sanosuke in awe. Megumi laughed, and Kaoru giggled before turning to Enishi.
"Enishi, won't you be happy to be stuck with all of us again?" asked Kaoru hurriedly, watching Misao's mouth run non-stop as Enishi stood there in shock.
"Of course!" replied Enishi happily. "Just get in before she decides to!"
Okina watched the cars pull away and then turned to Kenshin, Saitou, Tokio, and Hiko, all of them sitting at a table with five chairs.
"Alright, I'll let Miyana in when she comes, and you four can interrogate her" said Okina hurriedly. "I won't be there, but I have some strict instructions."
"Really?" asked Tokio in surprise. "How many instructions?"
"Alright, I only have one" replied Okina. "Saitou, don't try to scare her." Okina quickly walked away from the room as Saitou scowled and pulled out a cigarette.
"Excuse me?"
All four heads turned around to see Miyana standing in the doorway, her black hair tumbling down the back of her deep blue trenchcoat.
"Sagara Miyana?" asked Tokio softly. Miyana nodded, and he motioned her to sit. She sat down gingerly in the chair and the group sat in silence for a minute.
"So Miyana-dono" replied Kenshin with a reassuring smile. "Tell us about yourself."
Miyana sighed softly and looked up at Kenshin. "Where do you want me to begin?" she asked quietly.
"Start from the beginning" said Tokio quickly, making sure that Saitou would be unable to make a cruel comment.
"It's alright Miyana" said Hiko from the shadows. Kenshin's eyes practically popped out of his head.
Hiko called her Miyana? I'm sure he has some sort of connection with her to call her by a first-name basis! That could explain his slight surprise when he was staring at her picture yesterday…but what kind of connection could these two have possibly shared?
Miyana's eyes widened and she did a double-take when her eyes fell upon Hiko, but she didn't utter a single word, adding on to Kenshin's curiousity.
Miyana took a deep breath and began.
"I have no clue who my true parents are, but ever since I can remember, I've been wandering on the streets. When I was five, a man found me almost dead by the riverside. He took me in, and taught me swordsmanship so that in the future, I could learn to be strong. However, when I was ten, he took me to the Sekihotai Agency, telling me that I would be better off there than with him. Captain Sagara was wonderful, but then he died when I was sixteen."
"I was a good friend with Souzou-san" interrupted Tokio gently. "I'm curious about his reason for death. He was assassinated, but why?"
"I don't know…" whispered Miyana.
"Do you have any suspects?" asked Kenshin gently. "We know that the assassin had to be one of his confidantes, but we're quite unsure about which one it could possibly be."
"I had one suspect" replied Miyana shortly. "But it's no use now. He's dead."
The room fell silent and Tokio turned to look at her husband, but she could barely make out his form from the shadows of the corner he sat in.
It's almost as if he's deliberately sitting in the shadows…like a wolf waiting to pounce on his prey…Hajime, what's your connection to this girl? Why are you trying to avoid her by hiding in the shadows…
"Miyana-dono, please continue" said Kenshin quietly.
"I wanted to keep his agency running, even after he died, so I took leadership…but when I turned nineteen, I got involved in a case that ended up in disaster, and after that, no one trusted me. I made sure every worker received a compensation, and then I sold the agency" said Miyana softly.
"Alright, now for some questions" Kenshin said quickly. "I want to know what this case or scandal was about, the one that caused the agency to lose faith in you."
Miyana's voice began to shake as she spoke. "I was accused of…" Miyana trailed off, unable to continue.
"Miyana-dono, are you alright?" asked Kenshin gently. Miyana wiped her eyes of the single tear that she had tried to hide desperately.
"Miyana, you have to let it out" said Hiko urgently. "Get it out, and get it over with."
It's been a year but I still can't speak…will they believe me? Will they understand that I am innocent?
Miyana sighed and took another deep breath, but Saitou's harsh voice suddenly rang out into the air.
"Do you think your act is going to work on me?" he asked coldly.
Miyana looked up in surprise to see the dim light of cigarette unveil the man she knew had been hiding in the shadows. Her eyes suddenly widened with horror upon seeing Saitou sitting in front of her.
"You…" she whispered, her voice barely audible.
The policeman…the one who arrested me…the one who insisted I wasn't innocent…
"Did you honestly think you could prove yourself innocent?" asked Saitou with an evil grin. "All the evidence pointed to you! It's because of you he's dead, and don't think you can try to fake your way out of this, because this time, I'll be sure to make you pay for your crime!"
Miyana stood up quickly, knocking her chair over. "You think I did this, even after a whole year?" asked Miyana, her voice so low and desperate that Tokio couldn't help but support the young girl in front of her. Her voice broke, and tears threatened to slip out from her eyes. But nothing prepared her for what Saitou had to say next.
"I wouldn't doubt it" he replied coolly. "In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if you were the assassin of Captain Sagara. That's how heartless I think you are. Don't try to act innocent, because I know the truth about you. I studied the case about your scandal! I was policeman who sent you to court because I knew you weren't innocent. You somehow escaped the jury, but let me assure you, I won't be so lenient. I know the truth and trust me Miyana, I will prove you are guilty…"
Miyana's eyes widened, and she turned swiftly and fled the room. Hiko stood up and followed her silently, leaving Kenshin and Tokio alone with Saitou.
"Saitou, how could you say that to her?" asked Kenshin harshly. "She's a young woman, and she's been through so much turmoil!"
"I know her better than you Battousai" said Saitou coldly. "I know the one secret that she is hiding…"
The one secret that would make your insides turn…the secret about who she murdered, and who he was to her…
"Himura-san, don't talk to him!"
Saitou turned to see his wife's crystal blue eyes turn to ice in front of him. She glared at him, and at that moment, Saitou knew that no one would believe the secret of Sagara Miyana.
"I don't care what you think Hajime" replied Tokio angrily. "But I will not turn this girl away! You said that she was in court once, but she proved herself innocent, otherwise, she would've been in jail by now! I vote that we keep her as a secret agent!"
"I too, vote to keep her" replied Kenshin coldly.
"It's two against one, but Seijuurou hasn't voted" replied Saitou with a smirk. Tokio however, returned his smirk by sliding a piece of paper in front of Saitou before storming out of the room. Kenshin too, left the room, his amethyst eyes cold and flecked with amber. Saitou unfolded the slip and his eyes widened ever so slightly with shock.
Written in Hiko's neat handwriting were the words "Keep her".
"Miyana!"
Miyana turned around to face Hiko. Hiko took one look at her glum and dejected face before patting her on her head slightly.
"And I thought you were stronger than my baka deshi" said Hiko with a teasing grin. Miyana turned away without a glance, and Hiko, in a gesture of reassurance, wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"You were never one to run away" he said quietly. "What made you take off today?"
"He was there" whispered Miyana. "Every time I try to live a new life, something goes wrong, and he is just a reminder of all those events that caused me to fall apart…"
"He doesn't know you like I do" said Hiko gently. "He doesn't know that you're one of the most innocent people I have ever met, so don't let his judgments bring you down."
"Shishou…" Miyana trailed off, causing Hiko to smile.
"I remember when you were five, when I first found you, you used to call me Hiko oji-san" said Hiko with a grin. "What changed? The fact that I trained you for five years? That I left you alone for ten years?"
"You still want me to call you Hiko oji-san?" asked Miyana.
"I want you to be happy…to smile like you used to as a child" answered Hiko. Miyana looked up at the darkening sky and sighed softly.
"I'm not her anymore" she whispered. "I'm not the girl I used to be…"
Hiko raised his eyebrows. "You may not be her anymore, but will it hurt to try?"
Miyana stared up at the sky as the soft breeze blew her hair gently. "I don't know" she answered. "But if it does, I don't know how much pain I can take anymore…I'm tired of hanging on, and sooner or later, I will let go…"
Hiko took the girl by the shoulders and embraced her gently, leaning his head to whisper into her ear.
"I know it hurts…but don't you think that Sagara-san would want you to enjoy life? And if you let go, if you can't hang on any longer, then grab my hand. I don't want to see you leave...I had to leave you ten years ago, and I've missed you so much for all those years. If you let go, you'll end up hurting me…so instead, just grab onto my hand, and I'll help you through…"
Miyana pulled away, her eyes filled with tears. She did not smile, but Hiko knew the true meaning behind her tears. They were tears of gratefulness, tears of happiness to know that someone truly cared about her. He wiped them away carefully with his thumb.
"You have a soft spot for women…" whispered Miyana gently.
"No, just a soft spot for you" replied Hiko with a broad smile. Miyana shook her head slightly.
"And perhaps that's why Kenshin-san is always angry with you" said Miyana with a raise of an eyebrow. "You never had a soft spot for him. In fact, you were extremely hard on him."
"Well, it's not my fault that Kenshin's a baka" replied Hiko indignantly. "After all, not all pupils can turn out as great as their master!"
"Shishou…"
Saitou pulled out a cigarette from his pocket as he stared out the window located in the empty room he stood in. His amber orbs blazed with hatred as he stared at Hiko and Miyana talking outside.
She's escaping again…Can no one see behind her façade except for me?
Does no one believe the truth except for me?
He took a deep drag of his lit cigarette before putting out on the sheet of paper Hiko had left behind, staining the words "Keep her" with ash.
I will not let you go unpunished…Aku Soku Zan Sagara Miyana. That is my motto, and I will not hesitate to support my motto, even against a girl. So I hope you're watching your back, for this time, I will not let you escape…this time, you have to pay the consequences for your crimes!
Saitou's so friendly, isn't he?
Anyways, I know I didn't really mention Miyana's crime, but that does remain a secret for quite a while. Throughout the story, you'll see flashbacks to Miyana's past, and some of them are so strange because they contrast with her current personality so greatly...I love writing agonizing scenes! Keeping it a secret also makes you wonder whether she truly is innocent, or whether she's guilty! Mwahahaha!
Oh yes, and just a hint - Miyana and Saitou will fight in the future.
Only three more days of junior year for me! Then I'll be a senior (and I'll still be stuck in high school, how pitiful...). But I'll be that closer to graduation!
Review, and thanks for reading! Ja ne!