Author's Note: This fic is turning out to be really good after all huh! now after a lot of thinking and more new idea contemplating, I finally know how I want this story to end. Oh but don't worry, there are quite a few chapters left before the ending comes. I have a lot planned for Aoshi and Misao!
Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin
Chapter Ten: What You Need, You Always Had
Aoshi didn't know where he was.
The foremost thing he noticed when he awoke was that he was sitting down in a dark and gloomy type of room. He had a pounding ache on the back of his head and tried to remember what had happened. Then his mind played back the memory of what had occurred just seconds before he was knocked out.
After a few moments of thinking, Aoshi punched the floor, 'I can't believe it, he threw sand in my face.'
He was of course upset to say the least, but he couldn't afford to be right now. He had to find a way to get out of here, and then he can spend as much time being pissed off as he wanted to later when he fights someone again.
His other thought was where Misao could be. And then it hit him that Hideki had taken her to the Aoiya back safely. He was worried. Misao had a bad injury and Aoshi was hoping that Megumi had taken care of it in time. She was also unconscious when he last saw her. Was she awake now and wondering where he was? It was then that he prayed she wouldn't try to find him in this place. It was surely too dangerous, especially after how badly she was hurt.
He rubbed the back of his head and neck as he tried to stand. He staggered slightly at first, but then was very soon able to walk and think straight. He paused for a second, checking his black shinobi gi for his kodachi. He looked in the sheath that he kept both of them in, and saw that they were gone.
'So, he had to take my swords too, did he?'
He sighed in frustration. Now without them, he just had his good old kenpo to get him out of here. Aoshi shrugged. That shouldn't be much of a problem.
"What? Aoshi's gone?" Misao shouted as she sat up right away and instantly seethed in pain. She hugged herself where her wound was hurting and Megumi gently pushed her back down on the futon.
"Calm down Misao! You don't want the wound to open up again do you?" Megumi said strictly.
Hideki was close by, telling Misao of everything he had witnessed when he had first stumbled upon the battle.
He looked at Misao, "Yes, at first, he told me to bring you here so that Megumi could heal your injuries. I went back there after I dropped you off here and they were both gone." Hideki explained.
Misao remained motionless and didn't speak. She let it all sink in and thought about it. Now, she couldn't believe what she had just heard, 'How could Aoshi have been taken down? Where could he be?'
Misao closed her eyes as she felt Megumi place more bandages around her. 'I must find him. If I just get up and try to look for him now, no one would trust me to be alone. I have to wait until the room is clear.' She realized this was something she would have done a couple of years ago. Storming out of the room to find the one she loved... and without any kind of plan... Oh what a reckless girl she had been.
"I'll come back to check on you in an hour, just rest for now and we'll find out the whereabouts of Aoshi." Megumi said calmly to the young ninja. Misao only nodded, her eyes still closed, the doctor left the room, leaving only Hideki and her alone.
Hideki looked down at her injury that Misao kept both her hands on. The emotion he felt now, was pure guilt. Hideki wished more than anything now that he could have been there in time to save Misao from this. He couldn't stand the fact that he had just come too late. He had to make it up to her. Somehow.
After a few moments, he finally spoke again, "Misao?" He asked softly, not wanting to startle her if she was already asleep.
"Yes?" She asked in a whisper.
He hesitated for a second, "I… I promise that I'll help you find Aoshi. It's the least I can do for you." He said and rubbed the back of his neck, apparently nervous.
Misao opened her eyes at this and turned her head to look at him, "You- you will?" She asked in slight shock.
He chuckled now and sat next to her, looking down in her eyes, "Well yeah, I knew you were going to sneak out as soon as you could without trying to be caught right away, and so I thought I might as well help you."
Hideki remembered when they were younger and how Misao would always sneak around when she was supposed to be grounded or something. Not that he had minded. However, good boy that he was, he always talked to her about it, asking if it was really the right thing to do before he eventually followed through with it anyway without much say in it. He was in a way, her side kick back then. And he wouldn't have had it any other way.
Misao couldn't help but smile so brightly right then. She was so happy at this moment, that someone knew her so well.
'Those days were so long ago.' Hideki thought with a sad smile on his face and he shook his head.
Misao saw this, "What?" She asked him.
"Oh it's nothing really...Just remembering the good old days you and I had together is all."
Misao giggled, "Yeah, we had such a blast together back then didn't we?"
He nodded and silence seemed to consume the room.
They didn't know what to say. Misao closed her eyes again, suddenly feeling herself becoming nervous, 'What could he be thinking?'
The last couple of days replayed in her mind. The time they met at the market, the fight with those ten bandits in the forest, and when they went out to lunch together.
Hideki let his heart go out to this wondrous woman beside him. She was so incredibly brave, much braver than he will ever be. He admired her for her strength and her courage as she protected him from those bandits, when to him, it should have been the other way around. Hideki wanted to protect Misao, and keep her safe, and make her smile. He now understood how Aoshi felt everyday with this young woman. Being with Misao would undoubtedly bring a smile from anyone who was with her, even Aoshi.
As Hideki gazed at Misao's peaceful face, he couldn't help but let his heart wander, 'I... Misao...I think I...'
News traveled all around the Aoiya and back again. Everyone was evidently shocked, not ever knowing Aoshi to be the one abducted.
Kenshin and Sanosuke sat on the front porch and overlooked the landscape surrounding them. The sun could be seen only above the tree tops, meaning night would come in an hour or two.
Hideki had explained everything to Megumi, and once she was done tending to Misao's wounds, she had told everyone else what was going on.
"Aoshi is missing." Kenshin finally said.
Sano sat straight up, "You mean the guy just took Aoshi away like, what? Kidnapping?" He asked in obvious disbelief. He had never known Aoshi to be taken down so easily before. He had always been secretly kind of intimidated of the leader, to be truthful.
"Yes, Hideki told Miss Megumi and me everything when he came back with Misao when she was badly hurt." The swordsman sighed and looked down, "We've got to find him, but we have no idea of where he could be." Kenshin said softly. He didn't like this at all. Something told him that this as just the beginning of something very awful about to happen.
Sano nodded, "I agree." They both looked down the hall to where Yahiko was in a training room, the two large shoji doors wide open for everyone to see him. He and Kenshin could hear the young boy practicing. Sano never left his soft gaze from the boy, and spoke in a low voice, "I hope none of us have to go into battle again, that's the only thing we all could gladly do without."
As both men watched Yahiko bring that sword down with mechanical force and blazing determination in his eyes, Kenshin could not help but feel pity. 'Another innocent young life is brought into the world of falseness and warfare… What a tragic world we live in…'
"Ready yet Misao?"
Both she and Hideki were presently getting ready to set out and hopefully find Aoshi. Misao cringed as she was putting on her green and pink kimono that Megumi had washed and dried right after she treated to her wounds. The doctor had even sewed the fabric together that had the lengthily cut on it.
"No not yet. Don't turn around." She said. Hideki stayed where he was. His back was to her as she got dressed, and now, as they were almost ready, he was beginning to obtain second thoughts. However, before he could say anything, Misao spoke up first.
"Remember, we're going back to that place in the forest where Aoshi and I fought the guy."
"Why?"
Misao stopped and shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know, maybe there's something there… anything at all.. that will give us a clue to where he is... It's our best hope at the moment anyway."
After a few moments, those second thoughts kept poking at his mind until he would speak up about them, "Uh, Misao. I'm starting to think that we shouldn't do this… You know, we could always get the others to help and-"
She clenched her fists firmly, "No... I got Aoshi into this mess." Misao lowered her eyes and shook her head in blame, "Wherever he is now… however he is now.. is my entire fault. No one else's..." She said as she walked up to Hideki. At hearing her footsteps advancing to him he knew it was ok to turn around and face her with a look of uncertainty still.
She smiled this time, "Though, I want to thank you for helping me like this. You know, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to." She trailed off.
"No!" He said loudly and brought his hands on her shoulders quickly and gently, "I'm going to help you Misao, no matter what."
Misao smiled in complete admiration for this man standing before. He was such a good friend, willing to do whatever it took to make sure Misao was happy. "Oh Hideki…" The youthful ninja smiled more and shook her head to rid oncoming tears. "Thank you… so much." Hideki removed a hand from her shoulder and brought it to her cheek, "You don't have to thank me for anything, Misao. I would do anything for you."
Misao's smile quivered and she held her hand on his. What a wonderful selfless man she had come to know and befriend in her life. Oh what would she do without him? Misao's determination to find Aoshi grew so much stronger now that she had a comrade by her side to help her along the way. It was the most she could have ever asked for at that moment and was so grateful to receive it without a second notion.
Without saying any more, Hideki slowly released his hold from her and guided her to the window's opening.
They both jumped out, and ran towards the setting sun to find their friend.
"Kenji, please stop squirming around." Kaoru pleaded delicately to the young baby boy in her arms. She was getting him ready to take a nap, but he just didn't want to right now. Kaoru giggled, "You just want to play with Mommy all day long don't you?"
After she carefully rocked him back and forth for a few minutes, he was dozing off. This trick had always calmed him down and soon enough he was fast asleep. She gently put Kenji to bed and softly stroked his small cheek. 'I'm so lucky.'
She thought about her best friend Misao. She wondered when the young girl would get married like her and have a child of her own.
Now that she thought of it, Aoshi had always seemed to be the perfect person for Misao, since they were always together and all. They were even mistaken as a couple once when they had gone out grocery shopping with one another a few weeks ago.
Kaoru's sapphire eyes brought tears, and she let them fall, 'When my parents passed away, I thought I would be alone forever. I was depressed and scared for so long, but then when I met Kenshin, all my fears and worries went away when I knew that he loved me...' She glided her fingers down Kenji's soft cheek, 'Oh Misao, you will never have to worry like I did, because the one who loves you, has been by your side all along...'