Disclaimer - If I owned Rurouni Kenshin, would I be impatiently waiting for the 15th manga volume to come to Alaska?
I rest my case.
I usually don't update this late on Sundays, but there was an Indian community gathering, and being an Indian, I was forced to go to the worst Thai food restaurant I've ever been in. Wonderful tempura and eggrolls, but everything else either tasted like ginger or had meat, so I survived on white rice, tempura, eggrolls, and two glasses of iced tea with cream...
And do you know how boring it is to see the same people everytime, especially if two of the kids don't really understand the meaning of "you're annoying me!"
Enough ranting though. I'm here to update! But first, reviewer responses!
WhiteRabbit5 - Yeah, had a lot of problems, as I discovered when I was unable to send a review...and I'm glad that the opening paragraph helped. You'll be seeing a lot more arguments from Kaoru and Aoshi, especially since Kaoru adores to sing love songs (I'll have to mention that some time soon...), and Aoshi finds them overrated...This is actually the first fic in which I'm actually slowing down and allowing a lot more interaction, and it makes me want to redo all the other fics...As for Enishi's plan of silence, well, I just thought it would be hilarious. Too bad it didn't work out though!
kawaii sakura-chan - Well, if you thought someone was a murderer and that that person was running around scot-free, I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be happy. Saitou's just more...vocal about his dislike for her. Kaoru and Aoshi's first meeting was quite harsh eh? Aoshi has a few issues, and you do find about them later as Kaoru discovers many facts about his past. I assure you, you will find out a lot about Miyana, because she becomes a very integral character in this fic!
Bradybunch4529 - Sigh! You don't know how wonderful it makes me feel to recieve such a great review! I was so worried about the interaction, but thanks to you, those worries have dissipated!
Alright, this chapter, there is very little that is new, but it kind of reveals a small secret about Sanosuke...hope you enjoy it anyways, and I'm sorry about the fact that my chapters are very short! Gomen nasai, but I don't get too much time to write, ad I'm hoping by writing this story I'll start writing longer chapters!
I'm boring you, so go ahead and read!
HOW IS THIS LOVE?
"Shishou?"
"Yes Miyana?" answered Hiko, sipping the deliciously brewed tea Miyana had made for him. He especially liked the shot of sake she had added.
"I think it's stopped raining" said Miyana softly, pulling her trench coat on and pushing her hair behind her ears. "I should be going. Thank you and goodbye Shishou."
"Take care" said Hiko quietly. "Okina will call you for training sessions or about missions, so don't worry about that. Just don't let Saitou get you too depressed."
Miyana nodded her head slightly in acknowledgement and walked out the door in silence as Hiko took yet another sip of his tea.
"Love is so strong and pure and wonderful! Think of Romeo and Juliet!"
"Oh, you mean how they killed themselves? That's wonderful!"
Enishi groaned as he finally parked the car in front of the Aoiya and practically fled the car. After hearing Kaoru and Aoshi argue for twenty minutes straight, he was surprised that his headache hadn't caused him to collapse. Sanosuke and Megumi too, had escaped the car as quickly as they could.
"Hey what's going on in your car Enishi?" whispered Okita quietly, who had reached before Enishi.
"Kaoru and Aoshi are arguing" said Enishi with a scowl.
"Aoshi-sama seems to bringing about the angry side in Kaoru" noted Misao with a laugh.
"You don't say" muttered Enishi angrily, causing Sanosuke and Megumi to laugh.
"Aoshi-san usually doesn't raise his voice like that" said Kaya softly, an amused twinkle in her eyes. "Kaoru-san must really be able to get under his skin."
"We're going to go inside and talk with Okina" said Omasu and Okon, walking inside. "See you kids later!"
"Maybe we should leave to" replied Megumi with a laugh. "We can let those two argue in the car!"
"Hey, who's that?" yelled Misao suddenly, her hand pointing to a young girl walking away from the front steps of the Aoiya., her blue trench coat and long black hair blowing in the wind. ""Isn't the Aoiya closed?"
"It is" said Okita, slightly surprised. "So why-"
"Well, I don't know who she is, but that blue trench coat looks so good on her" replied Megumi thoughtfully.
She suddenly raised her hand to push her long hair back, causing the cuff of the coat to slip down and reveal a very delicate chain bracelet with six small stars hanging from the links, two with the letter 'K', two with the letter 'S', one with the letter 'M', and the last one with the letter 'H'. Sanosuke suddenly froze.
It's been four years…is it really her?
She began to walk away, and everyone began to climb up the steps. Megumi turned around to see Sanosuke staring after the girl.
"Sanosuke?" asked Megumi softly.
"Kitsune, just one minute! I'll be back in a minute, so don't worry!" yelled Sanosuke, turning away and running after the girl. Megumi watched him quietly, trying not to let her thoughts get the best of her.
Why is he chasing after her…Sanosuke, what's going on? Who is this girl, and what is she to you?
"Miyana!"
Miyana turned around, confused, to see Sanosuke run right up to her, lift her off the ground, and spin her around in circles.
"Oh my gosh! Sanosuke…" whispered Miyana, her eyes sparkling despite the lack of cheer on her face. "What are you doing here? Where have you been for the past four years?"
"I've been here and there, but god Miyana, where have you been?" asked Sanosuke. Miyana's eyes suddenly took on a sad hue.
"I've been where you left me four years ago" whispered Miyana. "All of you left after Captain's assassination, but I was still there…"
"You were the person that kept Sekihotai Agency running?" asked Sanosuke in disbelief. "Miyana, I had no clue! If I did, I would've come to help, but-"
"You seem happy" said Miyana softly. "And for that, I am happy. Don't think about me. I'm still the same girl I used to be."
"No you're not."
Miyana looked up at Sanosuke in surprise, and he gave a small smile.
"You've lost that smile you always wore" said Sanosuke softly. "What happened to you in the last four years that hurt you so much?"
"I have to go" whispered Miyana, prying herself from Sanosuke's arms. His hand suddenly shot out and grabbed her wrist, causing her to turn with surprise.
"Alright, I won't ask you about your past" muttered Sanosuke. "But could you at least come and visit my friends? They're right here, at the Aoiya!"
"Wait…Sanosuke, are you a secret agent?" asked Miyana softly. Sanosuke nodded, a broad smile on his face.
"My friends and I, with the exception of Misao, are all secret agents!" he declared, trying to keep his voice low. "But how do you know?"
"I'm closing down the Sekihotai Agency" said Miyana sadly. "Okina-san offered me a job at the Hiten Agency, and Himura-san and the others accepted me as a secret agent."
"So now you're one of the gang!" said Sanosuke with a wink. "So come on, and I'll introduce you!"
"Misao-chan! You have a phone call!"
Misao managed to tear herself away from her friends to rush towards the phone that Okina held in his hand. She suddenly noticed the smug smirk that adorned his face.
"Gramps, why are you smiling?" asked Misao curiously, her eyes dangerously narrow. "Are you playing a prank on me?"
"Of course not!" said Okina, grinning widely as he tossed the phone to Misao. "Have fun talking to him!"
"Him?" pondered Misao out loud. "Hello?" she asked.
"Hi Misao! Do you remember me? I'm Soujirou, from the aiport!"
"Soujirou!" squealed Misao happily. "Why are you calling so suddenly?"
"I couldn't forget you" said Soujirou with a laugh. "So I wanted to see if you would help satisfy my curiosity about you. Meet you at the Akabeko at eight today?"
"Sure!" replied Misao happily, her eyes shining with delight. "I'll see you there!"
"I'm looking forward to it" said Soujirou cheerfully. "See you at eight!"
"Bye!" whispered Misao softly. She gave a happy sigh as she placed the phone in the receiver. Okina's grin grew even wider.
"So Misao-chan, you finally have a date!" yelled Okina happily. "After so many years, some boy actually had the courage to ask you out! He must be the bravest man in the world!"
Suddenly, Okina found himself pinned to the wall with kunai.
"So how much time do I have until eight?" wondered Misao out loud. Her glance drifted towards the grand grandfather clock nearby.
"KAORU! MEGUMI! KAYA! HELP ME! I HAVE ONLY TWO HOURS TILL MY DATE!"
"So what's been going on with you Aoshi?" asked Okita. "How was life as actors for you and Kaya?"
"Quite dull" replied Aoshi shortly, before returning to his book. Okita looked at Enishi, who simply shrugged.
"I'm bored" whispered Okita. "Strike up some sort of conversation!"
"I'm all out of ideas" muttered Enishi. "I kind of wish the girls were here to actually fill up the silence."
Suddenly, the door slammed open revealing Sanosuke and a girl standing right next to him.
"I'm here to rescue you all from the boredom that only Shinomori can bring to our lives!" said Sanosuke with a smirk. Aoshi simply picked up another book and threw it at Sanosuke's head.
"Stupid rooster" he muttered, not bothering to look up from his book.
"As I was saying" muttered Sanosuke. "Here's one of my childhood friends, Sagara Miyana. Sagara Miyana, this is Shinomori Aoshi, the ice man, Soushi Okita, the smiley man, and Yukishiro Enishi, the cynical man."
Aoshi looked up from his book to stare at Miyana inquisitively. "Sagara Miyana, the head of the Sekihotai Agency?" asked Aoshi, his eyes narrowing slightly.
Okita and Enishi simply stared at Miyana in surprise when she nodded slightly, acknowledging Aoshi's question. Then the questions came from Okita and Enishi.
"How the hell do you know this idiot rooster?"
"Why are you here?"
"If you're here, then what's going on with the Sekihotai Agency?"
"Do you have any embarrassing stories about Sanosuke?"
"Calm down you two!" yelled Sanosuke. "Let her at least answer the questions! And Okita, she is not going to answer the last question!"
"I've known Sanosuke ever since I was ten" said Miyana softly. "I've come here because I wanted to become a secret agent for the Hiten Agency. I was forced to close down the Sekihotai Agency, and Sagara-san was close friends with Okina-san so I decided to join this agency."
"Wait, so Sanosuke was actually part of the Sekihotai Agency before he came here?" asked Enishi suddenly. "You idiot, you never told us that!"
"It must have slipped my mind" replied Sanosuke with a sheepish grin, earning him eye rolls from both Enishi and Okita. Aoshi simply placed down his book.
"Why were you forced to close down the Agency?" asked Aoshi. Miyana's eyes widened and she looked at Sanosuke for help, her eyes pleading him to help her to answer.
"Employment issues" said Sanosuke hurriedly, squeezing Miyana's hand gently to reassure her that he would her keep silent about her past.
I just hope that one day you will open up and tell us about your past…I don't want you to keep it inside you forever…
Aoshi gave a nod and returned to his book.
Sanosuke's stomach gave a sudden rumble, and he looked down at it with a sheepish grin.
"I'm hungry!" he declared. "Okita, make some food!"
"Enishi's the cook among us" replied Okita with a grin. "Enishi, make something!"
"Whatever made you think that I was a cook?" muttered Enishi. "Sano, you're the one who started this, so you should be the one to end this!"
"If it's not too much trouble, I'll make something" said Miyana softly. Enishi and Okita began to shake their heads and motioned for her to sit down.
"No, that's alright, you don't have-"
"That'll be great Miyana, thanks!" replied Sanosuke with a huge grin, interrupting Enishi and Okita's polite efforts to prevent her from doing too much work. Miyana ruffled Sanosuke's hair slightly before leaving the room.
"Any reason why she never smiles?" asked Okita quietly. Sanosuke shrugged.
"She used to smile a lot when she was younger" answered Sanosuke. "I don't know what happened, and she doesn't really want to talk about it, so I didn't pressure her."
"It looks like we have another Aoshi on our hands!" said Enishi with a grin.
"A prettier, much better looking Aoshi!" chimed in Sanosuke.
Another book went flying towards Sanosuke.
Sanosuke…who was that girl? Why were you chasing after her? Is there something you're hiding from me, something I need to know…what's going on?
"Megumi?"
Megumi shook her head slightly and looked up at an expectant Misao.
"Any other ideas about what I should wear?" asked Misao hurriedly.
"Misao, how about this tank top?" replied Megumi with an exhausted sigh, dangling the sparkly sea-green tank top by its hanger. Misao snatched it from Megumi's hands and held it up in front of the mirror.
"You really think this would look good?" inquired Misao, spinning in front of the mirror while holding it front of her.
"I think it would look really pretty Misao" said Kaya with a grin. "Especially with that cute black skirt and jacket. Just throw in a pair of dangly earrings and you'll look stunning!"
"Anyways, you don't have any other options" giggled Kaoru. "Your bed is heaped with clothes, and that was the last item in the closet! Just go with the outfit and Soujirou's eyes will pop out!"
"Alright then, I'm going to go change!" shrieked Misao excitedly. "Could you guys find my dangly silver earrings and my silver watch?" she called out as she walked into her bathroom. Megumi reached over and thumbed through the jewelry, carefully selecting the items and placing them on Misao's vanity dresser.
"Misao's really happy, isn't she?" whispered Kaya quietly. "She still has that innocence and naiveté that we no longer bear."
"Misao's only nineteen, so she has two more years" said Megumi softly. "And I think Okina is desperately wishing for her not to join the agency."
"After all, she's the granddaughter of his best friend, the previous owner of the agency" murmured Kaoru. "Of course he doesn't want to place her in harm's way!"
"Let's just hope that she never discovers this agency" said Kaya quietly. The bathroom door suddenly slammed open, revealing a gorgeous Misao, her skirt billowing around her calves and the sparkly tank top shimmering in the light. Her braid had been wrapped into a bun, held in place by a sea green chopstick.
"Oh my gosh, Soujirou's going to die!" squealed Kaoru. Megumi grinned and passed the jewelry to Misao, who quickly fastened the earrings and slipped the watch on her wrist.
"What time is it?" asked Misao excitedly. Kaoru quickly peered at her watch.
"Seven forty-five" said Kaoru cheerfully. "Why?"
"I ONLY HAVE FIFTEEN MINUTES!" shrieked Misao. She slipped on a pair of turquoise high heels and fled down the stairs.
"Wish me luck guys!" yelled Misao.
"Good luck!" called out Kaoru, Kaya, and Megumi, identical smiles on their faces as they watched Misao slam the door behind her and call for a taxi.
"You know, Misao may be going out for dinner, but I'm starving!" exclaimed Kaya. "I'm going to go to the kitchen and make everyone something to eat, alright?"
"No Kaya" replied Megumi firmly. "You've had a long trip, and you should relax and talk to Okita! I'll make dinner!"
"And I'll help!" chimed in Kaoru. Megumi glared at Kaoru.
"Kaoru?" she asked quietly.
"Yes?" answered Kaoru.
"When did you last help me cook?" asked Megumi sweetly.
"Two weeks ago!" replied Kaoru.
"What did I ask you to make?"
"Rice."
"And how did it turn out?"
"Oh" replied Kaoru dejectedly, finally understanding Megumi's point. "Alright, I won't help! I'll just sit with Kaya!"
"What did you do the rice?" asked Kaya curiously.
"Let's just say that we ate charcoal that day" said Megumi with an evil fox laugh. "Now, let's go downstairs, and I'll make dinner."
Kaya and Kaoru rushed downstairs to join the boys in their conversation. Megumi was about to sit down and brood in her thoughts about Sanosuke and the girl when she suddenly heard a loud shout.
"Jou-chan! I'm so bored! Have another fight with Ice-man!"
"You stupid rooster!"
Megumi gave a small laugh, slightly relieved that Sanosuke was no longer chasing after strange girls, before stepping into kitchen…
And coming face-to-face with the girl he had chased two hours ago.
Dum dum dum! (corny dramatic music plays here!)
Anyways, Sanosuke's exact relation to Captain Sagara and the Sekihotai agency will be explained later (actually in the next chapter or so), so I left it a bit incomplete in this chapter! But Miyana has a friend now!
As for Sanosuke and Megumi, don't worry, they'll get by!
Misao and Soujirou's date will also be described in an upcoming chapter, so you get to find out about that as well!
Anyways, thanks for reading, and please review! Reviews are my only fun reading materials until Alaskan stores update their manga collections! So please review!
Ja ne, and see you next Sunday!