REVISED: 05 February 2019
15. The Realisation
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Aoshi was really angry, no he was totally furious! The pain from the dagger stung like an ice and fire in his side. He had been wounded like this before and he already knew that it missed everything vital. When Soujiro stabbed the dagger into his side, he did not hesitate to kill the offending man.
He can still recall how Misao, the servant girl pleaded him not to pull the dagger out. She even stayed by his side and the knowledge was a real comfort. His mind replayed the memories of the last few moments. When she yelled at him and ran down the stairs, he thought that she was Akari. Then he knew that it was impossible, Soujiro mentioned before that he already killed her.
Curse Soujiro, Aoshi will make sure that the boy will suffer in prison…
"Where's father?" Aoshi asked no one in particular.
"Avoided any major injury, fought off the assassin better than you did!" Kenshin joked out. "Brother, are you fine?"
"I am." Aoshi answered. "How's everyone?"
"Every person is safe and the remaining members of Juponggatana were all captured. Soujiro was in comatose." Kenshin told him as he recalled how he thrust his reverse sword into Soujiro's chest.
"Aoshi-kun!" His mother, Okon yelled from the distance and ran towards him with a doctor by her side. "Oh, dear! The pain must be terrible!"
"I'm fine, mother." He answered as the doctor started to examine him.
"Do not move as I tend your wounds. It has been a long time since I saw you, Aoshi-sama." Megumi said and took another bandage to wrap it around his wound. A question quickly popped in his mind…
Where is Misao?
Aoshi stood, quickly ignoring Megumi. He looked over the crowd but all he could see are the faces that showed panic and worry. He also noted that Princess Emi had been fainted and was being fanned by her ladies. Sanosuke stood before him with a blood on his face and a wound on his forehead. He told Aoshi about the capture of the six assassins and a known nobleman who was involved.
"I am impressed with your quick work." He commented. "Tell me the name of the villain you arrested."
"Makoto Shishio." Sanosuke answered.
The name brought back many memories of Akari then a face of Misao came to his mind.
He sought her out and she saw her sitting in one of the thrones, her face in her hands as she wept.
Aoshi wanted to thank her for her good deeds so quickly made his way to her and gently laid a hand on her shoulder, "Thank you, Misao…"To his surprise, she only wept more…
A commotion at the doors brought everyone's attention to several guards who were escorting Shishio and the eight remaining assassins. Soujiro has passed out but he was still in the hands of the palace guards.
"What is the meaning of this, Shishio?" Demanded by Emperor Hiko.
"A bid for a crown. I took my chance, I always wanted to take over the government and reverse the laws you implemented. But I will tell you nothing more." He grinned and looked at the Emperor and smiled broadly at Misao.
"Take them away, Sanosuke! Find out their motives and the person who paid them! Lock them in prisons!" Hiko ordered and the villains were finally led away. The crowd cheered as they walked away.
Princess Emi came to Aoshi's side, she woke up from her faint. "That servant girl! She was involved in all of this! She's trying to distract you in the first place!" she yelled and pointed her finger at Misao from the distance.
"I am not! I am trying to save Aoshi-sama!"
"Liar!" Princess Emi said. "A servant girl like you should also suffer in prison!"
The thought never crossed Aoshi's mind. "Do not addressed her like that, Emi-san. Her name is Misao." Aoshi said, defensively.
"A name does not matter, she should be questioned as well. I have heard that many noblemen in this palace said that she was Shishio's servant."
Aoshi ignored her. Kaoru and Okon sat beside the scared Misao, trying to calm her from Princess Emi's false accusations.
"Son, I need to speak at you for a moment." Okon said.
"Not now, mother." Aoshi answered as he pushed them all and knelt next to Misao.
"Son, please! Just a moment…" his mother had pleaded.
"Silence!" he almost yelled.
Silence fell throughout the room like a blanket of cold snow.
Gently, he put his hand on her knee. "Misao, it's over now. Do not cry. Do not think about Princess Emi's words about you…"
Her hands still covered her face as she shook her head no, "Please let me go home." She begged.
"Why we should force you to stay?"
"Let her go, Aoshi-sama! She does not belong here and obviously, she doesn't like to be here." It was Princess Emi again. She was beginning to irritate him.
"Your opinion was not needed." Kaoru said.
"You forget yourself Kaoru-san, I am entitled to make an opinion as anyone else here. She was a servant girl and she used to work for Shishio. This girl just arrived in time to distract Aoshi-sama which may cause his life and yet he speaks to her as though she really mattered."
"She matters more than you." Aoshi coldly replied. In return, Emi became teary eyed and dramatically walk out of the room followed by her many servants.
"She's right. I am nobody. I did my duty in coming here to warn you." Misao sniffed, trying to stop her tears from falling. "I am just a servant girl, nothing more, nothing less. Please let me leave and I will never bother you again."
"You know that I do not make any suggestions." he said as he tried to touch her face. In his memory, Misao's face used to be dirty and smudged with her days of work. She was always dressed in a simple faded coloured yukata, her smile and laughter was like a melody that has been singing in his mind ever since.
Now, Aoshi was so close to her and in the bright light from the many candles, he was really surprised at the woman in front of her. The residue of make-up was around her eyes and lips, her hair which had always in braid was partly pulled up as though it had been elegantly done up in the near past. Her kimono was really dirty but at one point, it must have been white with gold obi. The pattern of her kimono, the necklace she wore sparked his memories…
"Akari?" Aoshi asked in confusion. He was not sure if he wished the answer to be yes or no…
She held her breath as she suddenly realised her present appearance; that she had never changed since the last ball. Her presence truly confused him…
Misao distanced herself from him and hugged herself tightly, her body is shaking and she began to look away from him, "Please don't ask me! I do not wish to hurt you anymore!"
"I was trying to tell you son…" this time, it was Okon, "This is Sukunami Akari!"
Confusion washed over him followed by a light of hope… "Akari?" his eyes widened, his voice sounds delightful, "You're alive? Soujiro lied…"
She nodded and quickly looked away from him, "I am Makimachi Misao and I am not Sukunami Akari. It was just a random name. I used that name because I could not think of anything else. I'm so sorry, Aoshi-sama, I should have told you the truth since the beginning of the balls. I will now leave and you will never see me again."
"I am an idiot." Aoshi commented. After all this time and he was blindly aware of it. The sweet Misao from the woods and the lady he liked since the beginning of the ball were actually the same…
"Yes son, you are!" Okon mumbled.
"But Misao, why? Why did you refrain yourself from telling me the truth?"
"I was going to tell you but then Shishio… he ruined all the chances I have so I could speak to you." She paused and still, not looking at him. He reached out and took her chin in his hand – she turned her face to look at him.
Aoshi will make sure he would not let her slipped away from his sight anymore…
"Misao, do you think that such a trivial thing would matter to me?" He wiped the tears from her eyes and pushed her hair away from her face, "Had you been the Queen of the heavens or the simple servant girl, I will love you no matter who you are…"
Pulling her close to him, he kissed her… Aoshi calmed her fears and showed her that his words are true. His kiss was soft and sweet like the day alone on the beach. Her cheeks were wet with tears but she kissed him back, holding him close.
Every people gasped! The entire nobility whispered harsh comments. "Son…" his father tapped his shoulder, "I know you are thrilled but this is not the time."
"I will never let her out of my sight again!" Aoshi swore and held Misao close to him.
"Yes but we are currently within the view of all the nobility of the realm. Please allow your mother to take the lady out of their view…"
He reluctantly let her go.
"Do not worry, we will make sure she'll be safe and fine." Okon happily said and dragged Misao away from him. Kaoru smiled at the servant girl to cheer her up.
In a daze, from her kiss or blood loss – Aoshi turned to look at the crowd of people. Several who witnessed the kiss were smiling while most of the women looked very unhappy. He knew he must explain something but he can't seem to utter some words.
His father saved the trouble, "Ladies and gentlemen, due to the unfortunate turn of events, the ball will end up early."
Everyone finally left.
When silence returned to the ballroom and all who remained are the servants who were cleaning up, Hiko and Aoshi sat on the chairs.
"So a servant girl?" his father asked him.
"Father, I do not wish to argue with you."
"Who said that I was going to argue?" Hiko laughed and then became serious. "Son, I only wanted you to be happy…"
"By forcing me to find a bride?"
"Well, it was a duty you know." He began fidgeting with his ring again. "Son, I hope that you really love her because not everyone will stand by your decision… choosing a servant girl over a princess, I mean."
"I do not care about what the court will think of my decisions. It is mine to make."
"I am glad to hear that!" a voice said, it was Okon. They both turned to see her near the door as she walked towards them… "I knew that this thing will happen!"
"Explain Mother!"
"Well, having secrets is so much fun." She laughed and sighed. "Oh well, here it is… 17 years ago, there was a ninja group who served our family called Oniwabanshuu. The leader of that group is our friend, Okina. He retired quickly which surprised all of us. It turned out that his daughter and his son in law died together when they fought the rebellions in Northern Kyoto." Okon paused and sighed. "It's a tragedy Aoshi, because no one would take care of the child they left behind. Okina sacrificed his duty as a ninja and decided to open a small business so he can support their everyday lives. Before he officially left the palace, he brought the baby so your father and I could meet her. And you know what? The child used to be a cute little baby girl."
"You mean that the baby is Misao?"
"Yes! You were only 10 years old back then, Aoshi-kun. I don't know if you still remember but you already met her before!"
Aoshi suddenly recalled a memory…
Aoshi was getting really bored of the conversation between his parents and a retired ninja. He doesn't really like to be here but his father insists that he was now a young boy and he shall know how to socialise with others so he can be a great Emperor. His gaze was upon the old man in front of them, the man was holding an infant in his arms. From the conversation he heard, the two-week-old baby had lost her parents. Poor little girl…
"My lord, I would like you to meet my granddaughter Misao…" Okina said and held the baby in front of the Emperor.
"You have a very lovely granddaughter Okina. I'm really sorry that your daughter and son-in-law died in the civil war." Emperor Hiko apologised as Okon gently held the baby from Okina's arms.
"My husband is right. She's very lovely, isn't she, Aoshi-kun?"
Aoshi looked at the baby girl. Her hair was so dark as the colour of the shadows, her eyes closed; she's sleeping so soundly. Well… he had no real interest in kids. The baby awakened by a noise outside and began to cry. Her eyes fluttered open and time seems to stop as the indigo eyes of the baby girl met Aoshi's ice blue eyes ones.
Her tiny hands were raised in the air, she was reaching for him…
"Aoshi-kun, she wants to be with you. Try to hold her for a moment, dear." Okon suggested.
Aoshi does not want to hold the baby as nervousness took him in. This will be the first time he will hold such thing and surprisingly, it was a pleasant feeling. When the baby was in his arms, she stopped crying so quickly. The 10 years old Aoshi looked at baby girl as she clenched her tiny fist in the hem of his clothes and shut her eyes closed…
And in a sudden time, she slept in his arms.
"I've remembered it now, mother." Aoshi commented. It was very hard to let all the events sink in.
"That was the last time I saw them. After that, I heard Okina remarried a prominent geisha named Yumi but he quickly died after marrying her. Rumours said that Yumi was already married to a wealthy merchant named Shishio. I never knew what happened next but it will be more than a coincident that Misao belongs to Shishio's household. The guards told me that they got an information that Shishio used her to get you but she refused that's why Soujiro told you that she was dead."
"You seem to know many things…" Hiko said and embraced his wife in arms. "Why?"
"Because Aoshi deserves better than what we got."
Aoshi nodded and for the first time in a while, he smiled fully. "Where is she?"
"She was exhausted. I put her to sleep in the guest room. You should rest too, Aoshi." Okon told him.
"Aa." was all he managed to say as he left the ballroom and headed to rest at his chamber.
Time moved so fast but it was too difficult to sleep. His thoughts are so full of her. He quickly stood and walked towards the guestroom. Sliding the shoji door open, Aoshi never saw a sleeping Misao inside. He quickly decided to look for her in the gardens and there, she found her standing near the Sakura tree. The horizon was beginning to turn pale as the sun gave its appearance…
Misao looked to turn around and their eyes met for a brief second. Knowing the truth, Aoshi knew that everything felt different yet it still feels the same.
He still loves her – madly in love with her. He cannot put other words to explain it.
"Misao." Aoshi said and opened his arms to her.
She ran into his open arms and held him close. His arms went around her and Aoshi could not explain the feeling but only that he is happy. "I am sorry, Misao. My mother told me about you, if I only had known that Shishio made you a servant and all terrible things he have done…"
"Please don't speak of him anymore." she asked.
Aoshi smiled, "Anything for you…"
Misao felt his hand seek her face and like earlier that night, he cupped her chin in his hand and tipped her face so he could look into her eyes.
"Misao, do you love me as I love you?"
"Yes, more than words, Aoshi. I have always loved you… from the very beginning." She whispered, her voice low. "From the very first day I met you in the woods, from the very first time I danced with you in the first ball and from the moment you thought I had betrayed you until now… These feelings had always been here." She added…
"Then will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"
She did a small "Yes" before throwing around his shoulders and kissing him long and fiercely as the sun rose it head above the trees…
End of Chapter