So sorry for the wait everyone! I think I just traded one evil for another on the jobs... this one is keeping up til midnight. -sigh- Anyways, hope you guys like the new chapter! Thank you so much MindIIBody for helping me out with Ayame! You're a total story-saver. : )

--Chapter 10-Volatile Tempers Collide--

Misao yawned sleepily, then tried to find a more comfortable place on her pillow. It seemed to be harder than she remembered. She pondered on this thought for a moment, still keeping her eyes shut-warding off the dreaded moment of waking up. Maybe she had used a pack for a pillow last night, yep-that had to be it. Though that couldn't quite work as her pack didn't have a heartbeat. She could feel the sun's warm rays upon her skin, reminding her that it was indeed morning. 'I'll have to get up sooner or later.' she thought as she decided to get up and start the day.

Opening teal blue eyes drowsily, her heart almost stopped at what she saw.

Aoshi watched quietly as her surprise and dismay became visible quickly. He watched in mild amusement as she began to try to gently remove his arm from off her stomach. However, he wasn't about to let her get up just yet. Tightening his grip, he pressed her petite form closer to himself. A small squeak of surprise that exited from the girl's mouth caused a few of the group to waken, being puzzled by the sound.

Han'nya was the first to awake. He stared silently at his leader and the girl as an almost inaudible chuckle escaped from beneath his mask as he stood up and turned to leave. The least he could do was give the Okashira some privacy, besides they could always use some fresh water for the empty canteens. He had found a small brook earlier yesterday, but as Misao had fallen ill, no one had bothered to do the irksome chore. Picking up the small stack of canteens, he headed off.

Shiro groaned slightly as he stirred, removing any chance of getting back to a much needed sleep. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, his jaw dropped as he located the source of the noise. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or ill, so he opted for a compromise between the two-an almost groaned laugh pealed forth loudly. Seeing his Okashira send him a glare promising pain if he didn't leave, he hastened to get up and find something to do elsewhere... somewhere very far away.

Shikijo and Kuro snored loudly, obviously undisturbed by the noises around them. Now, if it had been the clash of steel, or a gunshot-the two would have been up and ready to fight in an instant... but a squeak and the odd sound Shiro made didn't quite make it to the men's alert level.

Growling in frustration, Ayame tried in vain to block out the men's snoring. Not being able to draw any more endurance from her patience, she sat up. Her black lustrous hair in disarray and was ready to attack the nearest offending member before her murderous green eyes settled on the most inflaming scene of all. There they were…Aoshi –correction: her Aoshi was with Misao in a compromising position! Her jaw dropped as her weapon of choice and her bag fell to the ground in her stupor.

Anger didn't describe the many emotions that were brought forth within her. It was rage a fierce and blinding flame that threatened to consume her whole! Her sense of sight was red, and her blood screamed high in temperature. 'How DARE that…that WEASEL sleep near MY Aoshi-san!' her mind screamed with outrage. Her once delicate hands clenched into a fist of snowballs shaking with unleashed anger and promised wrath. She mentally promised that as soon as the brat was out of her Okashira's protective grasp; the weasel would be put into her proper place.

No one had ever gave her such a taste of hate before….no one! Not until now, seeing her beloved man within such a distance of another person other than herself was more than enough to throw her over board with distaste as well as animosity. However, she was willing to let this one scene slid for now…seeing as there was much more things to do. A careful disposition was in place, and staying here seething in useless abhorrence was no use to her right now. So for now….as much as it bothered her, the weasel will live. Then again, if any opportunity should arise; Ayame would be more than happy to give the girl a good deck or so. Just to calm her animus rage of the moment, the imaginative scene in her mind wasn't a bad idea.

Ayame's green eyes flashed darkly with malevolence as she glared at the direction of the oblivious pair before she stalked off. 'The weasel won this round, but I'll win the war…I promise, and then she'll see. No one and I mean NO ONE shall ever want to claim what is mine again! So let the games begin…' And the story to unfold.

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Misao's POV

Turning as best I could in order to glare at the infuriating man; I suddenly found my mouth dry at the look on his face. Wriggling harder to escape his grasp, I didn't quite know what to do about what his look said he wanted. I wasn't ready, and there was no way I'd give myself out of wedlock. That would dishonor my family, and while I couldn't care less about my father's name-I didn't want to smudge my mother's name. Even though she shared it with that man, I will not be held responsible for ruining her reputation-or mine for that matter.

Finding his grip to be impenetrable, I stopped moving. "Please Aoshi-sama, let me go." He complied slightly, his grip loosened but he wouldn't let go. "I need answers." his voice was slightly husky from sleep; I was surprised at the shivers that ran down my spine just from hearing him talk. Man, was I in trouble. Who knew you could get so attached to a person this quickly?

"Answers to what?" I tried to keep my voice stable, and was proud of myself when it held no tremors.

"Dreams." was his brusque reply.

I glared up at him as best I could, "What do you think I am? I don't interpret dreams for a living."

Icy blue eyes darkened to an oceanic color, which I found mildly fascinating. "What are you to me?"

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me or to himself, so I remained quiet. Brief flashes of those dreams I had last night appeared in my mind's eye. "Aoshi-sama," I said slowly, "haven't we met before?" I explained further as he shot me a look, "I know we met when we were younger-but what if we knew each other in a past life?"

"Rebirth."

I smiled slightly, nothing seemed to excite this man. "Exactly, maybe we were reincarnated? But why would we-"

"Unfulfilled." Aoshi-sama interrupted.

"If you're going to interrupt, could you at least explain some?" it was too troublesome to try to pry the information out of him this early in the morning. I yawned briefly, trying to wake myself up. I guess whatever had been on that dart tip hadn't been kind to me.

His eyes seemed to be veiled, he seemed to be remembering some great pain.

"What is it?"

"Our child. We died before he could live, I could not live to help end the war, and you-" he paused, I shivered once again as his eyes searched mine. "You didn't keep your promise."

"Promise?" to say I was confused right now would be the largest understatement of the day.

He closed his eyes and moved to lay on his back. "The promise you made to both Kaoru and myself."

"What did I promise?" my curiosity was taking control at this point, now that I knew that he knew something I didn't.

"To stay alive, to help with the city's protection-"

"And to teach our child to never forget the ways of the Oniwabanshu." I added, past memories falling into place. Holding my head in my hands, I groaned. This was all too confusing. I only wanted to live one life at a time, not two. And a child? Too much for the morning hours!

As I removed my hands from my head, I was surprised to find myself looking up into Aoshi-sama's eyes. Before I could say a word, his lips covered mine in a searing kiss. As quickly as it had begun, it ended. I found myself disappointed as I watched him get up and walk away. 'Maybe another time,' I grinned as I too stood up to begin the day, then shook my head violently. When had I started to think like that!

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I found Ayame to be in an extremely bad mood. Simply handing her a bowl of something Han'nya-kun had made for breakfast earned me a glower and a tight-lipped, "Beat it, brat."

I wondered what in the world I had done to make her that mad, then it hit me. Maybe she had seen Aoshi-sama and I sleeping by each other? The morning wasn't quite my fault though, and last night I'll blame on the fever. Han'nya-kun said I had had it all that day and most of the night.

Today was not going to be fun.

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Turned out, I was right. All day while we were traveling I had to put up with snide comments and rude jabs about my age and size. Needless to say, I was not in the best of moods.

Aoshi-sama called the group to a halt towards noon. The horses and men all seemed to be grateful for the brief rest. Me, well I was not happy to be near that woman. If I end up using my kunai on her, it's her fault not mine.

"I must say, children should not be traveling with us," Ayame complained loudly.

Shikijo grunted, "Misao's not a bad kid, at least she acts her age."

I watched, slightly appeased as Ayame glared at the scarred man. "No one asked you, Shikijo." He didn't bother to reply as he lounged on the ground, resting a little before we continued.

Apparently she noticed my presence, because she smirked briefly, "I must say though…why on earth Aoshi-san would take such a girl under our wing of protection. His taste in women is questioned here… Could it be that he is into weasels? "

Right now, my anger was reaching its boiling point. I've had almost enough of the witch. Stalking over to where she stood, I glared up into mocking jade-green eyes. "Look, I don't know what your problem is-but I've had enough of your crap. You need to back off." I growled out.

"Oh my…it speaks!." she laughed loudly. "If you can, do not speak to me as if you are greater than I. Last I checked, you can barely even protect yourself enough without needing Aoshi-san's assistance. So until you can accomplish such a task, do refrain from spitting fire out when there is no flame. Ne?"

I whipped out a kunai and held it firmly, my knuckles drained of blood from the tight grip I had on the blade. "You want to try me?"

Ayame carelessly flicked her hair off her shoulder before her flashing eyes glared dangerously at me. "What animosity from you, weasel, maybe you should be put into place after all!"

Before I could reply, she had darted behind me and grabbed my long braid. I stiffened, no one was allowed to touch my hair. It was my only source of pride and joy, the length and beauty of it was one of the few things that my mother had wished she had. Her hair had never been able to grow as long, so I kept it long to please her.

I felt her toy with the tip, then I heard her draw her shikoro. Diving into action, I dropped to the ground and kicked out at her feet. Watching her jump to avoid my kick, I took advantage of her surprise and yanked my hair out of her hand.

Dealing a quick blow to her stomach, I jumped back quickly. She hadn't been expecting me to know hand-to-hand combat. I grinned, her loss.

Aiming an upwards kick to her face, I was slightly disappointed as she dodged. Surprise turned into immediate anger as she tried to stab me with her weapon. Totally unfair!

Using my kunai, I prevented my being stabbed in the stomach. Using her momentum as she pitched forward, I flipped her on her back.

She jumped up quickly, her breathing slightly irregular from the flip. "How interesting…so weasels can bite as much as they squeak. It's a shame they can't do much damage though."

I misjudged her position and was rewarded by a punch to my jaw. Staggering backwards, I narrowly avoided another punch than a kick to the side.

Her shikoro flashed dangerously close to my braid as it whipped out to the side from the momentum. I gasped as I saw a few hairs flutter from the end of it to the ground.

Seeing red at that point, I didn't hold back. She saw that and decided to go all-out as well. Sparks flew as shikoro hit kunai. We began a deadly dance, whirling and striking-each seeking an opening or weakness in the other's offense. One misstep, one mistake would cause a severe wound at the least. I was not going to show mercy, not to this woman, not right now anyway. Maybe once I had her pinned on the ground, my kunai to her throat, would I show mercy.

Smirking as I drew first blood, I watched her eyes widen slightly as a tiny nick on that snake's arm showed her to not be as good as she thought she was. I smirked broadly, and prepared to exploit the weakness I found. Then suddenly, we were being pulled apart. Kicking and struggling violently, I tried to escape my captor's grip and pulverise that snake who had dared to punch me and cut my hair.

"Enough." Aoshi-sama's voice commanded in a no-nonsense tone. I was going to hear about this later, but right now, I couldn't care less. Seeing that woman's slight cut was worth it, blood-lust flowed like fire through my veins. I wanted to get even with her, but it would wait. Damaging her extra-large amount of pride would just have to do me for now.

I shrugged off Aoshi-sama's restricting hold and stalked off, holding my head up high. I had emerged the victor this time around, and I was going to enjoy it. I felt Ayame glare holes into my back as I walked off, but I didn't care. Doubtless, I would face the consequences later, but for right now-I was going to go enjoy the moment.

"Misao-sama." Han'nya-kun stopped me in my tracks. I remained silent, feeling extremely unrepentent. "You shouldn't have let her get under your skin."

I growled, "She had no right to talk to me like that."

"Be that as it may, you should be better than that." his tone stated clearly that he was disappointed in my prior actions. I suddenly went from my adrenaline rush to feeling like slime. I should have been better than that. Crap, Han'nya-kun-why'd you have to give me a guilt trip?

Sighing, I turned back around, drooping dejectedly. As much as it would kill me to apologize, that's what I was going to do. Then I could pitch a fit about it later-and I'm not going to talk to Han'nya-kun for a while. He just had to ruin my big moment... I guess some things just aren't meant to last. Aoshi-sama gave Han'nya-kun a nod of approval as I trudged past. Men... you can't live with them, and you can't live without them.

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"What did you say!" Ayame's eyes never seemed to grow bigger than right now to me…I mentally stored the hilarious picture in mind for future reference. This might cover up for what I felt right now…

"I said, 'I'm sorry.'" I repeated, trying to not sound unwilling. This stung worse than the loss of those few strands of hair, right now I was wishing I had just lived with the guilt trip.

A smirk played about her full mouth, making me want to deck her, "I see." She turned, then paused and looked at me over her shoulder, "How noble of you, weasel but you must know as well as I that you have not yet won. Apologies will not heal the wound on my arm…time will. Therefore I shall not forgive what has been done; I WILL get back my justice for the mark. I promise you that…" Another darn smirk, then she turned around and started walking towards the horses, "Besides," she called back, "you out of all people should know that your apology doesn't mean nothing to me. I would rather step on you then hear your 'sympathetic' words of apology. Still so young…and naïve too, you have too much to learn while I have much to do."

"Fine! Next time I'll gloat and forget the apology, snake!" Oooh, she just makes me so mad. I meant it too, next time Han'nya-kun can forget trying to give me a guilt trip-it won't work again, not with her. I fingered my kunai thoughtfully, maybe I could knock her out for a while... Dismissing the idea, I tried to ignore the smug look plastered on that witch's face. I'll get her back later, in a less conspicuous way.

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The afternoon wore on slowly, the entire group was quiet and on the alert. Aoshi-sama kept his kodachi close to hand, as we felt a powerful ki headed our way.

A cloaked figure stood in the middle of the road, sword drawn. As he lifted up his head, a feral gleam flashed in his eyes. "So, we meet again, Shinomori-kun."

"What do you want." Aoshi-sama's voice was like black ice, chilling my very bones. Suddenly, I began to wish I was riding with one of the other men as a wave of ki from both of the men hurtled towards the other and bounced off. Let me tell you, it's a very unpleasant feeling. Try being smashed between two hard objects, then you might be able to understand the sensation.

"Simple." the man sheathed his blade, then walked forward extending a rolled up letter towards Aoshi-sama. "Read this, then send me your response within three day's time. I'll be waiting." a large slightly crazed looking smile spread itself over the man's face. "And don't worry, I don't have anything against you personally, but unfortunately for you-you haven't seemed to have chosen your comrades well."

With that, he strode off quickly, his cloak billowing out behind him like a dark banner.

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--END NOTES--

Can you guess who the cloakedstranger is? X)

lol, anyways, this chapter was a lot of fun to write, because of the scene between Misao and Ayame. Next update shall be next week.
Please review and tell me what you think: )