"He's what?!" Misao tried valiantly to control her shaking as the news set in. "A-Aoshi is d-downstairs?"

"Yes, he arrived not long after you did this morning."

Twisting the fabric of her sleeping robe in her hands, Misao stood and began to nervously pace her room. He was downstairs. Why hadn't he left? She had told him to leave, had left no doubt that she wanted him gone. Why was he here? Why?! Taking in a shaky breath she turned to Omasu.

"He told you everything?" She hated the tremble in her voice but could do nothing about it.

"Yes," she replied in a relieved tone, happy that Misao wasn't angry with her. "He told me what happened...and he told me why. You should speak with him Misao."

"Should I?" she whispered, emotion flashing in her eyes. Closing them, Misao slowly lowered herself into a sitting position. When her eyes opened again, Omasu was surprised at how calm she looked. "Then tell Aoshi that I will be down momentarily and that I will speak with him."

Uncertain, Omasu rose to her feet. "Alright, I will tell him." She paused at the door to give Misao one last worried look, but the girl did not see. Misao sat on her floor, bathed in a pool of sunlight and staring at the wooden beams with a blank expression upon her face. Heaving a sigh, Omasu stepped out of the room and closed to door behind her.

'I can't fall apart now.' Misao thought, mentally berating herself for her weakness. 'I have to be strong. I have to!' With hands that no longer shook, Misao began to dress herself.

Aoshi was a mess. The impact of all that she had said to him only hours before was beginning to set in. He could still hear the rage in her voice as he remembered her reaction to his admission. There was no tremor or indecision, only anger and pain. He could still see her finger nails digging into the palms of her hands, squeezing so tightly he was sure she had drawn blood. But the memory that stopped his heart and chilled his blood was that of her eyes. They were so cold, shining in the moonlight without an ounce of warmth or emotion. He had never imagined she could have eyes like that, eyes so terrifyingly similar to that of a manslayer. Aoshi shuddered at the memory. It would have been simpler to do what she asked, to turn around and go back to Tokyo. It would have been simpler to flee from his emotions like he had so many times before, simply pretending that they didn't matter and not allowing anyone else to witness them. But now, after running for so long, he found that the prospect of running again was more than he could take. He couldn't run anymore. This was his breaking point and he knew it.

Aoshi held his head in his hands, staring down at the floor as teardrops fell upon the wooden boards. 'What have I done? Does she hate me now? Oh Gods, have I destroyed her?' A sound from upstairs broke into his thoughts and brought his attention back to the present. His watery green eyes gazed at the staircase that would soon reveal Misao. So she would talk to him. He was grateful and terrified all at once; his emotions rolled up into a complicated ball that caused his heart to throb and, in turn, viciously threaten to tear him apart. Nervously, Aoshi stood and began to pace once again.

He had allowed Omasu and Hatsu to feed him and had borrowed a few items of Hatsu's clothing while his dried in the sun. He didn't want to be taken care of, he didn't deserve it, but they would not hear of it. Omasu had insisted mercilessly that he eat something and so he had given in. However, he found that everything turned to ash in his mouth and so he had appeased her by eating only a few bites of rice.

It was all he could do to keep himself from tearing up the stairs to where he knew she was. She was so close... He had so much to say, so much to still admit, so much to apologize for! Respectfully, however, he had waited for her. She had waited for five years it seemed. He could wait for a few hours.

"Aoshi"

The tall man's head jerked towards the staircase as her voice lifted him from his reverie. His breath caught fast in his throat, Aoshi's pacing stopped in mid stride as he looked at her. Misao stood at the base of the staircase framed in the brilliant light of the sun. Unusually dressed in a pale green kimono, Misao was a rare and beautiful sight. The sunlight streaking through the window glinted upon her braided hair and glowed in the wayward strands that fell about her face.

"Misao..." Her name was all he could manage, his lungs and heart refusing to work properly at the moment.

Slowly, Misao took her first step and began to walk towards Aoshi. He was relieved to see that her eyes no longer looked like they had upon the hilltop, although they were far from the happy and sparkling eyes that he remembered.

"You wished to speak with me?" Her voice was soft, almost a whisper as she stared at the floor between them.

"Yes," he replied, taken aback by her change of demeanor. He hadn't expected her to be so calm after the emotion she had displayed on the hill. They stood there in an awkward silence for several minutes; Misao waiting to see what Aoshi would do, and Aoshi wondering what in the world he should say. Now that the long anticipated moment was here, he was utterly lost. He was no good with emotions, he never had been. It was easier to pretend he didn't have them than to try to figure out how to express them. But he couldn't do that now. Not with her, not anymore. He needed her. He knew that now. He supposed he had known it all along, but had been too stubborn and self-righteous to admit it.

As these thoughts were racing through his mind, Misao began to grow tired of this troublesome silence. A small glow had come back to her eyes when she realized that he had chased after her. A hesitant flame of love and hope had been lit insider her heart, a flicker that was dangerously close to being doused once again. She had almost turned away when he reached out and took her hands in his.

"It seems I have another apology to make."

Misao almost cried with relief when he spoke. Looking up, she met his eyes directly. "I guess so."

"Misao, I am sorry." His voice was low and soft, his eyes boring deeply into her own. Misao felt herself begin to flush as the protective walls she had built around herself shattered and began to crumble under his piercing gaze. Closing her eyes to shield herself, Misao looked away and tried to steady her voice as she responded.

"You hurt me." It was a simple statement spoken in a soft voice full of pain. "I didn't understand then, but I think I do now. Aoshi, I..."

"Misao, I love you."

Misao stopped short, breath hitching and eyes going wide as she heard Aoshi say those words that she had so desperately longed to hear for five years now. The shields that she had hastily been rebuilding were blown to bits. Biting her lip, she looked up into his face once again. This time she was not so surprised to see tears in his eyes. She only had a moment to look before she was swept up into his embrace, held tightly to his body.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "please forgive me." Eyes held tightly closed, Aoshi waited for her response. What if she rejected him, pushed him away and stormed out of the room? Could he live without her? He thought about a world without Misao, of living his life without ever seeing her again. The thought made him pull her closer still. After moments that seemed like an eternity, the answer came.

"I love you too."

The words came easily to the small girl. She was finally putting into words what she had felt for what seemed like her whole life. "I love you Aoshi." A long sigh departed from the tall man as he held her close, a genuine smile taking the place of the worried and fearful expression he had been wearing. A genuine smile: something that had not been seen on his face in four years. He felt wetness on his chest and looked down to where her head was resting, nestled him. Slowly, Misao pulled away and looked up at him. A small smile graced her face as he recognized the sparkle in her eyes. Those were the eyes he remembered.

"I love you, but you have to win me back Shinomori."

Grinning down at his beloved, Aoshi took her hands once again.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any characters mentioned.

Sorry if I made Aoshi unnecessarily whimpy in those last few chapters. I was trying to portray a situation in which the tables turned and Aoshi was the one left with a broken heart. As many of you guessed! Don't forget to read the epilogue!!

Thank you so much everyone for your reviews! Especially ItachiMisao. You almost made me cry!!