AOSHI/MISAO REBOOT

- Chapter 5: Author's Note: -

Hello, everyone. Hopefully, this chapter shall be posted relatively soon after my fourth chapter. However, knowing me, this chapter will be posted after a couple of days. Maybe, or maybe not; who knows? Listen to Broken Heart of Gold by One OK Rock. This song is the music behind this chapter, as it explains the guilt of Aoshi when her nightmare gets the best of her, and she brings up… "the incident."

I do not own any of the original Rurouni Kenshin characters nor plotlines. I am merely using them as a canvas for my own twist to the original storyline.

- End of Chapter 5: Author's Note: -

Misao's POV:

- Flashback: -

Last night, if getting under the covers with her meant what she thought it did, then he was declaring to her where she now stood in his life. Essentially, he was beginning a new chapter, and she was a major component of that 'new chapter.'

- End of Flashback: -

Being so content to lay in his arms and look upon his sleeping face, Misao couldn't help but feel a certain peace fill her within. Sleep soon overtook her, and, sadly, it was not so peaceful.

The dream started peacefully, with memories of her younger years with Aoshi and the others. However, it quickly turned dark as flashes of Aoshi, and the other four abandoned her to work for Kanryuu. The next memories to flash by were of Aoshi nearly slicing Okina in half; thank God he survived, or Aoshi would never forgive himself. However, in this nightmare, he did, in fact, kill Okina.

Aoshi then turned on Misao, with both kodachis against the kodachis that suddenly appeared in Misao's hands. With each slash, he pushed her back and out of the hut where he'd just slain Okina.

Misao was holding her own against him, surprising him as he kept trying to overpower her, and she began shouting at him, "Aoshi-sama! What are you doing?! It's me, Misao! Why are you doing this? This mad persona of yours isn't you!"

Misao didn't dare take her eyes off of him, for if she did, she would surely die at his hands. She was terrified of him at that moment.

Finally, he drove his kodachi through her stomach, scaring her out of slumber from a pain that almost seemed real. She bolted up into a sitting position with a scream of terror, "No! Aoshi!"

Footsteps pounded to the room she was staying in, and the door slid open with a loud bang! Her beloved Aoshi stood in the doorway, ready to battle whatever made Misao shout his name in fear. However, it was just a nightmare.

Misao looked to Aoshi with eyes filling with tears, "You told me I was a waste of space and that you never wanted to see me again."

Shame clogged his throat, and he knew he would be unable to speak. Instead, Aoshi walked over to just beside her bedside before slowly lowering himself to the floor, and then he humbled himself before her.

There he was, bowing before her with his head touching the floor next to her; she knew he was close to crying, so he would not speak. It did not matter to her if he did not speak. His insurmountable guilt was what killed her inside. He realized that his words back then must have done terrible damage to her heart and mind. It had been painful enough to say those words to her, and they had haunted him since. Apparently to Aoshi, they've haunted Misao too, and Aoshi would no longer let her cry tears over his hurtful mistakes to her.

Finally, "Misao. It can never be enough…" Aoshi started talking but stopped mid-sentence due to the emotion straining his voice.

He continued with, "It can never be enough, after all I have done to you, to apologize with words only. But if you are willing, forgive me because I cannot bear the weight of what I have done to you and the others."

Misao could not believe he was apologizing, for she had already told him that she had forgiven him. But she knew he needed to apologize still so that he felt like he was actively making amends. She looked down to her left, where his head rested against the floor by her hip. Then, Misao reached down to brush her fingers through the hairs on the back of his head.

"Aoshi, I have already forgiven you; the Oniwaban has forgiven you. Okina especially has forgiven you; he aches for you to forgive yourself, as much as I wish it. Don't be so hard on yourself anymore, Aoshi-anata."

His head snapped up at the endearment she used on his name, and his face warmed. Aoshi surprised her when he grabbed the hand that was stroking his hair still and pulled it to cup his cheek and said, "I do not deserve you Misao-mine, but I promise to fight to earn your heart."

Misao's face reddened considerably before suddenly, her stomach rumbled loudly, which effectively ruined the moment. He smirked at her as he stood up from the ground while still holding her hand. He said, "Come. I will cook for you."

Misao raised an eyebrow but did not argue as he said that. This day would mark the first time he's cooked for her since they were children. She sighed happily at him taking care of her so well while she's this injured. The happiness soon turned to grumpiness as Aoshi swoops her into his arms.

"You know, I can walk by myself, Aoshi-sama," Misao mumbled huffily.

Aoshi kept her in his arms and brought her further into the Aoiya to the kitchen. He set her down on one of the counters, clearly in an attempt to dissuade her from jumping down because it would be surely painful if she tried. Misao furrowed her eyebrows at so successfully being manhandled. She would never admit to the part of her, however large or small, that liked being manhandled by Aoshi.

Fast as lightning, he grabbed her chin between the thumb and forefingers of his left hand. His right delved into the hair at the back of her neck.

Aoshi then yanked her head back just enough to level their eyes, and he then proceeded to kiss the life out of her. Simultaneously, his right hand began tugging on her hair at various moments of the erotic kiss that of which he was so generously giving her.

He pried open her mouth with his hand at her chin that shifted to roughly clutch her lower jaw and by biting her lower lip sensuously. Misao opened willingly, forgetting that they could be walked in on while in a clinch. However, Misao didn't care; she just wanted him to keep kissing her like he owned her very breath. His kiss was so demanding that she melted into him and clutched him with her legs wrapped around his waist.

Aoshi's kiss dragged sounds from Misao that she had never heard herself make, and that made her blush even more. Her hips seemed restless, it was like they wanted to be pressed more directly against Aoshi's, and they craved what she could feel pressing against her right thigh.

Suddenly, there was a noise in the hallway just outside the kitchen doorway. Aoshi and Misao both sprang apart like children that got caught doing something they shouldn't.

Aoshi and Misao looked at each other with their hearts racing and each knowing that somebody might have caught them in a very indecent position. But they separated, knowing that they would finish this clinch later.

Aoshi quickly turned away and busied himself with preparing the stuff needed to cook her whatever he planned on making.

It turned out that the person who made noise outside the kitchen doorway was Jiya, and he seemed to know 'exactly' what was happening on that counter a few seconds prior.

Misao must have jinxed it by disregarding that anyone could walk in on them at that moment, and Okina must have before walking back into the hallway and making some sort of noise to break the not-yet-lovers apart.

Jiya smirked at her, and Misao shook her head at him, letting him know with just one look that she did not want any teasing. Her and Aoshi's relationship was still fresh, and she did not want someone else's jokes to take from the bliss she and Aoshi were feeling.

He sighed before nodding, and then he spoke up, "Children, what are we making?"

Misao coughed a laugh at Aoshi still being referred to as a child, for she had long accepted that she would always be considered the "baby" of the Oniwaban, but Aoshi? Aoshi was a twenty-eight-year-old man. Okina did not have a single excuse to call Aoshi by that name, but it was hilarious to Misao, so she said nothing against it. If Okina kept endearingly calling Aoshi "child," it might make Aoshi see that he was back in the fold. Meaning, Aoshi was forgiven by Okina and the others, so they have brought him back into their hearts.

Misao wiped all thoughts from her head as she curiously looked at Aoshi since she also did not know what he would be making her for breakfast.

He seemingly did not deem it important enough to answer, so he kept quiet while he worked.

Okina looked to her and said, "Bet you it's soup. It's all he could make back then."

Misao stopped and thought about it, "I'm sure Aoshi-sama's cooking got better since then. He's had twelve years to practice his lack of culinary skills." Misao broke off into peals of laughter and was interrupted by a couple of pieces of half-cooked eggs getting thrown at her.

"Hey! Now I am going to need a shower to wash all of this out of my hair!" Misao almost faltered in speaking at the heated look he threw at her once she said she needed a "shower."

Luckily, Okina did not seem to see the look Aoshi had discreetly sent her, but he might have thought better of expressing it if he had.

Once the three of them finished their "mostly-edible" breakfast, Aoshi and her abandoned Okina to do the cleaning up, and Aoshi carried Misao to the bathhouse for Misao to wash up.

Misao had hoped he would be there with her, but as luck would have it, he got pulled away by Shiro and Kuro at, last minute.

Okon and Omasu showed up in the nick of time to help her with bathing herself.

-End of Chapter 5: Author's Note: -

Well? How did you all like this one? I hope it gives you a taste of what will happen when Misao and Aoshi DO take some more lemony steps.

Many thanks,

-Ami