Stage 8 – New Life

By Shin Sankai

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Misao woke late one wintry morning to turn her blurry blue eyes to where her husband of over two years would be resting beside her and pouted when she found the spot empty. He'd risen early, like he'd done for the past year now to selfishly leave their quarters and steal away their son. Misao got up, eyes shifting to the empty crib and placed on what used to be his hanten over her yukata and padded towards the window. She opened the shutters and looked out into the overcast sky. She sighed lightly, stretched her arms above her head and gave off a huge yawn. Lasts nights dinner (and the entire week) had worn her out completely. For the past week the Aoi-ya had been a flurry of squealing children. The Himura's had come to visit with their children as did the Sagara's. They'd left before sunset, to catch the train back to Edo and Okina had decided to keep the farewell party going.

Misao had snuck away, heading back upstairs for a breather only to come across her husband sitting on the window seal with their son sitting in his lap, his small back pressed against his abdomen. Those big innocent emerald eyes were wide open, blinking up at his father's bowed head, which had been illuminated by the glow of the full moon. Though their son was meant to be asleep at that ungodly hour, Misao leaned against the shoji and watched the display of affection between father and son. Aoshi had his strong powerful arms wrapped securely and snugly around their bundle of joy and she grinned widely when his lips had fallen against their son's forehead. She couldn't catch the murmur that Aoshi spoke of, but what ever it had been made their son gurgle happily before twisting around to lay more comfortably against Aoshi. He in turn had lifted him higher, placing him into the folds of his yukata and pressed his little ear against his chest so he could fall asleep listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

Her and Aoshi's life together had become a lot easier these days. Though Aoshi had been called away several times to assist Saitou, Misao knew Aoshi would return to her no matter what. Sometimes he'd gotten a few cuts and bruises and other times he'd been badly wounded. Either way, Misao hated it greatly. She had sat beside his slumbering form one autumn evening, as he'd not woken for two days. It'd only been several months since the birth of their son and Misao had fretted herself into exhaustion thinking that he might not wake up and she'd have to raise their child alone. When Aoshi opened his eyes, she all but wept against his bandaged body, making him flinch at the way she clutched to him. After that incident Aoshi had not gone on so many missions. Instead of placing his life in danger (and therefore depressing Misao into thinking horrible thoughts of him not ever coming back) Aoshi 'retired' from being a fighter and only allowed Saitou to use him for reconnaissance. She'd been outside the shoji when Saitou had visited to ask Aoshi for help and had listened to him wolfishly comment on how he'd gotten weaker. Her eyebrows had furrowed at his words and she was ready to rip the shoji open, ready to give him a peace of her mind, but couldn't do so as Aoshi effortlessly had commented that his life wasn't his own and he couldn't selfishly think of himself anymore. He had voiced that his life was now his wife's and his son's and if that made him weak then so be it. Misao stood at the shoji, eyes wide, with their son against her hip as she found Aoshi's larger form looking surprised down at her as he decided to leave the tearoom. He had picked up his son, making him gurgle as his little head rested against his shoulder and narrowed green eyes back at the smoking Saitou.

'Perhaps you should return to your own family Saitou and not make Tokio-san think those very thoughts that Misao had.'

Aoshi had left, sliding the shoji shut without allowing Saitou to respond and his arm had moved behind Misao's back to help guide her away and out into Okina's garden.

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Misao wistfully sighed at the memory and leaned against the window frame. Aoshi was so at peace these days it was blissful living within the Aoi-ya now. He'd not had any nightmares since his past was finally finished with Kanryuu Takeda and she was at his side. It allowed Misao to have an uninterrupted nights sleep as it did Aoshi. As her fully awake blue eyes gazed over Kyoto, Misao could honestly comment she was truly content with her life.

Though she did have to admit that she still had some training to do. She looked around the slightly messy quarters and knew she should tidy up since she could do just that nowadays. When she'd been pregnant Aoshi had been like a mother hen to her, not allowing her to do strenuous chores. It had pissed her off royally at the way he was treating her and she'd complained to Okina about it, but listened intently to him voicing that Aoshi was like that with her mother. Though he'd been a true warrior of his time, beneath that warrior lay a delicate emotion that didn't want anything bad to happen to the ones he loved. Protection was a natural instinct within Aoshi. It had never been taught to him. To others he appeared to have a cold exterior, but children would not fear him knowing beneath the 'ice' was a heart of gold that would bring them no harm. Misao had been unsure of that comment but later that day had found Aoshi sitting on the back porch with four children sitting around his large form and their son occupying his lap.

'He's is doing very well Misao-dono and all thanks to you.' Blue had met the smiling face of Himura Kenshin who was standing by the back shoji, observing Aoshi as he made origami for the children and told them a story about each animal. There big eyes were glued to his face and their mouths would hang open as he effortlessly folded the paper to their requests. Misao had nodded her head and then couldn't help but embrace Kenshin. He'd squeaked off an 'oro' but had read Misao's thanks within her hug and lightly returned it while watching his eldest child ask for 'Uncle Aoshi' to make a dragon for him.

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"Misao-chan, are you getting up today?"

"Hai!" Misao replied back, her past thoughts interrupted once more. She quickly glided about the quarters and picked up small toys and discarded clothing to place into a small hamper to be washed at a later date. With the double futon finally rolled away, Misao picked up an ice blue kimono and headed out of the room, down the stairs and outside towards the bathhouse, all the while trying to catch a glimpse of her husband and son. When she didn't, Misao shrugged her shoulders and continued on her way. She opened it up and a certain squeal of joy assaulted her ears.

"Aoshi?" Misao queried and opened the shoji leading into the ofuro and found her husband there with their son resting against his chest and splashing up a storm. When both pairs of green eyes met blue, the youngest Shinomori squealed and made an 'ah' like noise.

"So this is where you've been." Misao muttered and watched Aoshi rise from the ofuro, in all his naked glory, their son just as naked resting against his hip. Her son's black hair was spiked up in all directions and Misao laughed heartily as she brushed some of it down with her fingers. "Keep having all this alone time together and I'll get jealous." She watched a soft grin fall over Aoshi's lips as he bent down, one hand cupping her chin and his lips fell upon hers. She instinctively lifted up on her tiptoes, pressing into the kiss and then quickly remembered their one-year-old son was watching and pulled away.

"If you want alone time Misao, just say the word and I'll set it up." She flushed at the way he sultrily voiced those words to her. Her stomach did flip flops and her knees quivered at that wicked grin on his lips. "Ah, want to show kachan what you learned today?" Misao tilted her head as Aoshi's voice changed instantly. It became gentle and soft as he was starring down at their son and proceeded to lean him forward. Her arms went out to take him, but observed Aoshi shake his head 'no'. Instead her eyes went wide as chubby hands slapped her cheeks lightly and a sloppy kiss was pressed against her mouth.

"Yuki-chan…" Misao murmured, listening to her boy giggle up a storm. She became a little teary eyed at the affection and turned her eyes back to Aoshi's.

"And no it wasn't from the show just now." Aoshi commented, having read the question within his wife's eyes as he sat Yuki on the bench and wrapped a towel around his squirming form. "I got one smack on the lips not to long ago as well."

"Mou, you're already teaching him to be a womaniser."

"I'm not a womaniser." Aoshi instantly replied back, even if he knew Misao had said it mainly as a joke. "If I was a womaniser, I'd never be this devoted." Smouldering green gazed over his shoulder to look back at the blushing Misao. He could see the black chord necklace, resting against her pale skin beneath her loose yukata. It held a part of his crest while the one he wore around his neck held the other part. They would click together into place, joining as one to complete the Shinomori Crest, which had been passed to Aoshi just before his grandfather died. Green looked down at his son Yuki who was currently playing with the chord around his neck.

"You can't have this, not until you find your own wife."

"Organising a wedding for my son already? I won't have it!" Misao lightly joked as she picked up Aoshi's yukata and placed it around his naked form, helping to dress him as Yuki pulling on his wet hair currently occupied his time. When she tied the sash around Aoshi's waist, after placing on his fundoshi (she'd gotten a lot better at doing this for him) and made sure it was secure, she was then rewarded with another kiss to her lips before Aoshi began to dress their son into his winter clothes. As Misao began to pin her shoulder blade length hair atop her head she listened to her son squeal happily as Aoshi tickled him lightly.

"You're a great father Anata." Misao wistfully commented and watched Aoshi turn around to face her once more.

"I had great teachers." She knew he was referring to her parents. "I also had quite a lot of experience with a certain little hell raiser, so I am quite prepared for anything." Misao narrowed her own eyes even though she was ecstatic to see laughter flashing through sparkling emerald eyes. She made a 'hmph' noise, turning her head away at that comment.

"Well, excuse me for just wanting to always be with you." She was pulled out of her pout when Aoshi came towards her, his unoccupied hand moving around her head to press it against his chest. He placed a light kiss into her hair and smirked when Yuki decided to pat his own mother on the head.

"See, even Yuki is telling you not to pout and be a good girl."

"Mou, I've been ganged up on already!"

"Well, we'll just have to get you a little partner to side with you then." Her eyes grew wide at the suggestiveness in his voice.

"Yo-You mean have…another one?"

"No need to look so terrified Misao. Yuki is quite like me after all and in case you get lonely about being the only girl, maybe a tiny Misao can come along one day."

"Ah, well…um…" She was lost for words and looked into green eyes as Aoshi pressed his forehead against her own.

"I'd like to, very much, have another child, but only if you want to." Starring into his eyes, feeling the warmth and strength of his body Misao was certain once again that she couldn't deny him anything.

"Ah…yeah…"

"We'll just practice a lot before the time is right." Misao blushed at those words and pushed away from Aoshi.

"Stop distracting me and let me bathe."

"She's rejecting us Yuki-chan. We shall get her back by not kissing her goodbye." Misao fumed as Aoshi left the bathhouse and slid both of the shoji's closed behind him. "Misao…" She heard her name through the walls. "We'll wait for you in Okina's Garden."

Misao stripped off her clothing and began to scrub herself clean. Thinking about having another baby was definitely something she and Aoshi would have to discuss in private. When Misao was in labour with Yuki, it had placed a lot of strain on her body. She was quite petite after all and it had felt like days before he was finally out. The worst thing for her had been the fact that Aoshi was not at her side. Okon and Omasu had said it was not proper for him to be inside when she was giving birth. As tears streamed down her face, her body hot, flushed, bleeding and terribly sore she could faintly hear Aoshi's muffled voice outside. She heard loud crashes outside and could hear him pacing back and forth as he agonisingly waited. She had no idea what was going through his mind and when their son was finally born it was far too quiet. Her puffy eyes looked over at Omasu and Okon and the doctor and waited with baited breath when their brown eyes met hers.

'It's a boy.' She remembered hearing and then she collapsed into unconsciousness. She was in and out for several days and when she finally awoke she found Aoshi curled on his right side facing her on the other half of their futon fast asleep. Her eyes darted from his slumbering form to look down at the sleeping baby, their sleeping baby. His little hand was clenched around part of Aoshi's index finger and Misao finally got a better look at him. She traced a finger over his forehead, taking note of the tuft of black hair on the crown of his head and glided her finger over his little nose. She observed him squirm, eyes flickering as a flash of bright green assaulted her observations. Misao instantly knew her son was going to attract the girls as he would grow up to be the exact image of her handsome husband.

'Yuki…' Blue found sleepy green glancing up at her. 'When I was finally able to look at the both of you, he was sleeping peacefully against your chest that I didn't have the heart to disturb the bond. I went to the window, to look outside and it had already begun to snow. It was so pure, so soft, just like him, so I thought the name would suit him well.'

'Shinomori Yuki. Our little Yuki-chan. I think it suits him well.'

Misao knew that if she were to have another child, she would not allow Aoshi to pace outside. The fear he must have gone through, the dark hidden thoughts of either one of them not surviving the labour would have eaten at his insides. She had later found out that he'd nearly smashed Kuro through the wall as he waited news on her progress. Misao vowed that if she were to have another child, boy or girl, she would want Aoshi by her side. Being proper could kiss her ass if it meant easing her husband's worry. Though she had to admit, he was quite adorable when he paced and fretted over her. Of course no one saw the worry like she did…and if they did, they would not speak of it for fear that Aoshi would inflict revenge upon them for mentioning a weakness that he wasn't totally aware of that he had.

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Misao finished up in the ofuro and dried off. She got into her ice blue kimono, Aoshi commenting that Yuki had bought it for her for her birthday. She placed the dark blue hanten over the top for more warmth and slipped back into her slippers. She closed the shoji behind her and took the cobblestones back towards the Aoi-ya.

Her eyes instantly fell upon Aoshi as he was currently walking around the bare garden and noticed that Yuki had been tucked into the front of his yukata once more. Her heart swelled everyday at the interaction between them and once again her blue eyes squinted as she tried to make out the words Aoshi once again murmured to their son.

"What do you say to him, to make him smile like that?" Misao questioned as she stood on the porch looking down at her boys. "Though I'm sure he doesn't quite understand what you say." She observed Aoshi untuck Yuki from the folds of his yukata and lift him high above his head.

"He might not understand all the words, but he knows by the tone in my voice that I only speak the truth." Misao leaned against the post holding up part of the porch roofing and observed as Aoshi brought their giggling son down to be eye level with him.

"And what are those words?"

"That my love for him and for his mother are true and just and I shall do everything in my power to grant them protection and happiness for the rest of their lives." Tears pricked at the corners of her eyes.

"Aoshi…" Misao murmured his name, the name of the man that had always been in her heart. She watched him do something so completely rare and childlike that she herself giggled heartily like their son did. He had rubbed his nose against Yuki's.

"My son…" Misao's breath caught and her eyes grew wide at the serene open smile against Aoshi's lips. She watched him press a kiss to their son's forehead, listening to him squeal. Misao's hands pressed over her heart as she listened to Aoshi heartily laugh, which in turn got a new set of giggles bubbling from their boy. "My wife…" She blinked when that serene smile was directed her way and on wobbly legs she made her way towards Aoshi and placed her arm around his waist. She smiled as Aoshi tucked Yuki back into the warmth of his yukata and then placed one arm over her shoulders while the other was securely under the slumbering Yuki. Aoshi pulled Misao closer to him and gazed down at her and then over to Yuki. "My family… My Shinomori's." And with that he sealed his lips softly against Misao's, making her clench the material on his yukata just as her eyes closed to ward off the ensuing tears that would fall.

New life and the importance of his own had certainly changed Aoshi greatly. Misao vowed never to grieve about the past anymore. What was here and now was all that mattered. Her husband, her son, her family was all that Misao could ever wish for. She'd been given a life filled with meaning. Her life was one to truly treasure because just like Aoshi had voiced, it wasn't hers alone anymore. It belonged to the three of them, for all of time.

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(End)

Authors Notes: That completes the series. My calculations got a bit muddled up as to how far ahead this chapter is from the previous one. And truly it's been about 22 months or so. Sorry about that. Thank you all for reading…and though I'm sure it could be a corny ending, I don't care for I enjoyed writing it. And with that said, till next time Minna-san.