Stage Two – Waterfall Meditation

By: Shin Sankai


Misao entered the Aoi-ya loaded with bags. Her cheeks puffed out, face slightly red as she dumped them onto a table. It was an hour or so before the restaurant would open so lucky for her the place was bare of customers. She slumped unladylike into a chair to catch her breath.

"Misao-chan are you alright?" Okon voiced as she came over with a cup of refreshing water. The worn out young shinobi drank it in one gulp.

"Stupid Aoshi-sama…" She muttered mainly to herself and watched Okon tilt her head having caught her rambling. She shook her head and got up, lifting the heavy belongings towards the kitchen for Shiro and Kuro to unpack, Okon kindly taking some of the load.

"Did Aoshi forget to go with you Misao-chan?" Okina was sitting in the kitchen near a preparation bench sipping tea while watching his adoptive granddaughter gladly hand over the heavy sacks to the cooks in the restaurant.

"He totally disappeared on me!" Misao fumed while arching her back to let out the creaks that she was certain was there from all the supplies she'd bought. "Do you know where he went Jiya?" She observed the old man's eyes drift away from hers. She could tell he was going to come up with some phoney story and quickly walked over to him, her hands taking one of his. "Onegai Jiya…" She was certain the pleading look was working over the elder ninja. She could almost see the battle wage over his face and beamed when he let off a sigh.

"I watched him head towards the rivulet within the forest, possibly where the waterfall is."

"Thanks Jiya!" She'd run towards the back shoji and pried it open, slipping into geta and with kimono hitched up, Misao ran towards the rivulet.

"You know Okina, perhaps Aoshi-sama doesn't want company?" Omasu voiced her opinion and watched their mentor sip his tea with a smile on his face.

"No, I'm certain Misao's company is all Aoshi needs these days." The other Oniwabanshuu turned to stare silently at each other before getting back to work.

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Misao was following the path through the forest that had been worn out due to excessive use over the years. As she grew closer to her destination, the power of the waterfall coming from the small rocky cliffs grew louder. Her eyes creased as she glanced up at the sun, its strong rays beaming patches of light through the forest and down upon her blue-black hair. It was definitely a day for cooling off in the water.

The last hurdle Misao had to get through was just behind the foliage. She pushed through it and began making her way up some boulders. In her onmitsu outfit this wouldn't be a problem, but became a test of skill and endurance in her summer kimono. Misao prevailed and finally made it to the top. The sun felt warm against her flushed skin as she headed towards the edge of the rock face.

Their Aoshi was, perched perfectly on a rock, legs folded Zen style as the water from the waterfall pounded against his bare upper body. His silky black hair was completely plastered over his closed eyes. Misao was certain Aoshi would have been calmly breathing in and out – even with the rush of water around him - as she was certain the coolness of the water pounding against his flesh gave him a strange sense of calm.

As Misao crouched down, her chin resting against her folded arms on her thighs she was certain that even with the rushing of water about his ears, Aoshi would just know someone was watching him. Her blue orbs intensely observed the handsome man below stand on the slippery boulder he had been resting on, a pair of black pants clinging to his lower body.

"Aoshi-sama…" Misao muttered to herself, something she did on a daily basis and watched the ninja dive into the water, not a splash being made. Aoshi swam to a strategic section of rocks and climbed his way to the top of the rock face. As he lifted himself up to the main surface area of the rocky ground, he was crouched before Misao as she'd walked over with the dry cloth he'd brought with him. Wordlessly she handed it to him and Aoshi took it, rubbing it over his face and through his hair as it spiked up and away from his green eyes.

"That's certainly a different way to meditate." Misao grinned down at him before having to look up as Aoshi rose to his full height.

"Its hot." Aoshi quietly replied back, his eyes following Misao as she headed towards the edge of the cliff face.

"It sure is." Aoshi was a little perplexed at her response. His eyebrow rose silently when Misao's sash was pulled away from her closed kimono. She threw her head over her shoulder to beam back at the silent man. "Definitely too hot to hang about here." For a single moment Aoshi's eyes grew wide as Misao's kimono fell from her pale skin to reveal a short thinner slip underneath. It felt like slow motion, his heart leaping into his throat as Misao jumped over the edge. Aoshi's legs instantly took him to the edge, he looking down, his heartbeat slowly going back to its normal rate as Misao's head popped out of the water.

"Come on in Aoshi-sama!" He sighed at her childish manner and would have to remind Omasu or Okon to give Misao a small talk about how inappropriately she was dressed in front of a man. The beige material was certainly see-through now. As Aoshi stared down at Misao, he finally gave in – just for today he promised himself – allowing her to indulge in whatever was playing in her mind and leapt off the rock cliff and right into the water as well. He surfaced right beside Misao only to dunk her accordingly. A little pay back for just the split second where he thought that Misao might not have resurfaced when she dove blindly into the water. He smirked lightly when she spluttered coming back to the surface.

"Right that's it!" Misao waged war against him in the water, trying to dunk him under but was unsuccessful. He was far bigger then her…and stronger as well. After about the sixth head dunking Misao finally gave up.

"Come on…" Aoshi muttered, his hand instantly taking Misao's as he swam with her towards the waterfall. He lifted himself up towards a boulder just a slight way from the pounding waterfall and crouched down to help Misao up as well. He would not look anywhere below her face, this he was certain of.

"Is this really safe?" Misao shouted over the water, secretly enjoying her hand in Aoshi's. His eyes finally met hers and the seriousness within them almost made her want to leap off a ravine for him once more.

"I would not let any harm come to you Misao. You are safe when I'm near." Misao had to remind herself not to swoon and go to far into her own daydreams thinking that his words could have possibly been an act of love. Instead Misao nodded her head and was helped towards the waterfall. The pounding of the water was slowly turning her creamy skin a soft pink. As she stood in front of Aoshi's larger frame, Misao carefully tried to move under the waterfall, but the force of it would push her back into him. She wasn't yet strong enough to sit under it like he had been earlier.

"Dammit!" Aoshi heard Misao yell and his hands silently moved to cup her shoulders, allowing her back to rest softly against his chest. "Not strong enough…" He heard her mumble and closed his eyes. She was still trying to be as strong as him and it brought a small smile to his lips and a strange feeling to his heart.

"We should head back, the others will be wondering where we are." Aoshi muttered, his breath falling over Misao's ear and made the unusually quiet shinobi only nod her head as Aoshi directed her back up towards the rock cliff where they'd first met earlier.

"What were you meditating about Aoshi-sama?" Misao questioned as Aoshi grabbed her hand to lift her over the top, her bare feet coming to rest between his parted legs, their bodies impossibly close together.

"How do you know I was meditating?"

"Oh please, don't start this with me again. I know all about you Aoshi-sama. I'm not going to miss something as simple as that." Aoshi stared quietly down into her blue eyes and watched them frown slightly. "Where you thinking as to whether there could have possibly been another way then death for Hotaru-san?" Misao's heart plummeted when Aoshi walked away from her and towards where he'd dropped his cloth. She watched him once again scrub it over his face, into his hair and this time around his neck.

"No, death was all that I could give him. I have already come to terms with that."

"Then what? What plagues your mind now?" Green turned to look back at blue, his eyes straying from their path as they took a glance over Misao's matured body. Misao's hands fisted as he walked away from her and towards the edge of the rock face to pick up her outer kimono. "Don't turn away from me!" She screamed at him, eyes closing to ward off the tears she knew would be there. Her entire being shook as she stood with the warm sun beating down upon her drenched form.

"I'm alright Misao. You don't have to worry about me." Her eyes peeled open, as Aoshi stood once again in front of her, his hands moving up to place her kimono around her shoulders.

"I do worry! I'll always worry about you! Its my right to do so." She watched his head tilt slightly at her words. "You promised my mother that you'd protect me no matter what, but one thing you cannot protect me from is you Aoshi-sama. I won't allow it."

"Misao…"

"I want to be strong like you Aoshi-sama, not just physically but mentally as well. All the things that you've gone through, you still seem to have this will to live. So easily you could have given up, but you never did. You've had so much death surrounding you but you still lived on. That is true strength. That strength I want."

"Everyone's deaths would have been in vain if I gave up so easily." Aoshi watched as Misao laughed slightly before she slumped her forehead against his bare chest, it resting where his heart lay. "Misao…?"

"I did gain from your teachings Aoshi-sama. So many times I could of given up on my search for you, but the overpowering desire to see you again, drove me to continue on. Even though I could never jump over a ravine, I ended up doing so…just so I could see you again." Aoshi remained quiet, body not moving even when Misao's arms had lifted up and around him, her palms lying flat against his shoulder blades. "Without life, one cannot feel. And without feelings one would only be a shell of a person, like Hotaru-san ended up to be."

"Misao…I…"

"Thank you for being alive." Aoshi stared up into the bright blue sky, possibly searching for Hotaru's image within the soft clouds drifting by, asking for more redemption for not being strong enough to save him like many others before his death. "Don't think of yourself as someone who only brings death to those that he knows." Misao went on, her short nails digging into Aoshi's bare skin, hoping, praying that her voice was getting through. He had been getting better, talking to her more, wanting to be around her and then just this past week he'd returned to his old quiet and cold self.

"I'm still not strong enough." Aoshi confessed as he turned his head to look down at Misao. She pulled away from him, her eyes glassy with emotions.

"Maybe you'll never be as strong as you want to be." Misao placed her fingers against his soft lips, stopping him from voicing whatever it was that he was about to say. "Maybe to gain ultimate strength is to realise that there is always someone by your side, someone who will be with you no matter what has happened or what will happen. Perhaps that knowledge will make you the strongest out of everyone."

"The strongest…" Aoshi murmured as he stared into ocean blue eyes that had not changed over the years. "I no longer desire to be the strongest." The corner of his mouth quirked slightly at Misao's pouting facial expression.

"What does that look mean? Are you making fun of me?" Misao grumbled out and felt her eyebrows crease as Aoshi's hand rested at the back of her head, pulling her body closer to his, their damp forms brushing together once more. And just like previously, many weeks ago, Aoshi's lips pressed against her forehead.

"You've gotten taller." Aoshi moved away from her once more and headed towards the small rock where he threw his black gi and placed it back on, not bothering to tie it closed.

"What the hell does that mean?" Misao fumed at his retreating back, her fingers went up to trace where he'd kissed her once more. "Mou!" Misao yelled before loosely tying her kimono closed and rushed after Aoshi who was already moving down the rocks. "Stupid stubborn man…" Misao grumbled all the way to the bottom. She tripped lightly, but he was there to keep her on her feet, one strong arm around her slender waist.

"I'm not stupid Misao." She flushed lightly as he'd heard her. Aoshi let go of her and began the short trek back to the Aoi-ya. Slipping on her geta Misao rushed after him, her outer kimono damp thanks to her wet slip underneath. She caught up to the quiet ninja and linked her arm with his. She waited for Aoshi to jerk his arm away, but when he didn't Misao became her usual bubbly self and decided to remind him of how he made her go to the markets by herself and how she had to carry all the belongings home.

"You'll have to make it up to me, my shoulders really ache." Misao whined cheerily and felt her heart sink once again when Aoshi's arm moved away from hers.

"Aa…" Aoshi quietly voiced back and this time had Misao's happy little heart beating wonderfully in her chest as his arm snaked over her slender shoulders, pulling her closer while also softly kneading her left shoulder through the material of her clothing. Misao in turn had joyfully wrapped her right arm around Aoshi's waist.

The two of them walked quietly home together, both not minding the contact at all.

(End)


Next Chapter – Stage Three: Hot Workout