Disclaimer: Rurouni Kenshin does not belong to me but to Nobouhiro Watsuki. I am merely borrowing it for entertainment purposes. I am not getting any money or any other profit from this.
To Linay, Kmye-chan, AishuuShadowweaver, Tora no Shi, Tin Mandigma, LadyLupin, SapphireStar, Psyrk, Aishiteru, and everybody else that have contributed to increase my writing vice with e-mails or reviews. Love ya all! You're the best! I would also like to thank Vicky-chan for helping me choosing the title.
Dedicated
to everyone out there who has ever believed that love has no
frontiers.
TEARS AND BLOOD
Chapter 1
The morning after
Makimachi
Misao opened her eyes lazily, the light coming from the window hurt
after such a deep sleep. In the end, the words she had been told had
shown up to be true: "The most delicious sleep comes
afterwards." And hell it had been delicious! She had dreamt
about him. Images of the previous night being displayed in her mind;
her pale body shivering unprotected under the covers at the thought:
the way he had kissed her, touched her, made her his. No. She was no
longer Makimachi Misao, she was now Shinomori Aoshi's wife, she was
now, simply, his.
She closed her cyan eyes again trying to calm her body down. Of course she had heard many stories before but she had no idea Aoshi would be such a passionate lover! "Must be all the tension he keeps to himself…" she thought and laughed devilishly "… but now he's got me to get it out of his system!" she added as she turned around on the now messy futon, only to face an empty half and a neatly folded yukata… He was gone.
The scent of sweets filled the air at the Shiroubeko as the shoji doors remained open to anyone who would come and taste the magnificent rice and sake offered there. Since the Okashira's wedding the day before, people hadn't stop coming and going offering presents and leaving their greets and best wishes for the new couple, fertility specially: for some odd reason everyone in Kyoto was expectant towards the idea of a new heir. Perhaps it had something to do with the Onniwabanshuu's being such a powerful organization and the fact that its Okashira wasn't getting any younger was gossip material at the busy streets of Kyoto.
Unexpectedly, the main shoji door slammed shut loudly and a young woman with raven hair became the centre of everyone's attention. Giving her back to her recently acquired "audience" she made her way rapidly and yet gracefully towards the young owner of the establishment.
"Where is my husband?"
It was then when the crowd realized who the youngster was. She was the Okashira's wife, formerly known as Makimachi Misao.
"Calm down Misao" Okon replayed serenely "I can see you are very upset. Let's not allow that to obscure your beauty. I must say you look radiant this morning." And she wasn't lying. Misao really looked pretty in her lavender kimono accompanied by a pink obi she had received from Omasu before her wedding night for luck - she had said -. An unusual combination as darker tones were regularly worn in the obi and not in the kimono, still the contrast seemed to suit the uneasy housewife perfectly. "I bet Aoshi- sama did a great job last night!"
Misao stood silent for a moment and did nothing but blush furiously, and then she deliberately pulled a strand of Okon's hair "Say that again, and you'll regret it. Now…" she said regaining her composure "would you mind telling me where my husband is?"
"There's no need to act violently Misao" the brown-haired girl said even more happily "Aoshi-sama went out early this morning to meet with some politicians from Edo. Don't worry, there were no girls!" she finished twinkling an eye mischievously.
Misao simply turned around and slammed the shoji door shut.
Misao had walked for almost half an hour before she reached the Onniwabanshuu's state. She sighed. Kyoto was as busy as always and the fact that she knew she was the centre of attention at the market place didn't help the uneasiness her husband had provoked her by leaving her alone right after such an important night… right after she had become his. "What a fucking insensitive husband I have!" she thought as she lazily entered her room.
She practically landed on the futon without realizing that she was not alone in the chamber. In fact, she was not alone in her bed.
"Excuse-me, Madame. Could you inform me where I can find Shinomori Aoshi, Okashira of the Onniwabanshhu?
Misao suppressed a yell and instinctively threw five of the ten kunai she had drawn in a fraction of second. Her surprise grew bigger as she saw her interlocutor. He was young man about her age, perhaps a year or two older. Brown, messy hair framed his delicate features; his aquamarine eyes seemed to be sparkling as if they were the most expensive jewels in all Japan, and his smile… his smile seemed so familiar. It was cheerful, polite and yet there was something that made it look so inevitably wicked… Fake. It was him… It was Seta Soujiro.
End
of Chapter 1
AUTHOR'S NOTES: So what do you think? This
fic is going to be a little different from what I usually do (I like
sticking to conventional pairings BUT I just LOVE Soujiro and Misao
together. They're so perfect for each other! ). I will try to update
as soon as I can so you guys won't have to wait to long for the next
chapter. Anyway, Love it? Hate it? Let me know! Comments welcome at
