A/N: okay so I didn't have too many in favor of the love triangle twist so I'm perfectly fine with leaving that mostly out of the plot. There may still be some feelings on Tenma's part but don't worry, it's not gonna play a huge part in the story and it's not gonna get complicated and messy, just a subtle twist that I'm adding mainly as motivation for Aoshi to-get off his ass and make a serious move! LOL I know we're all dying to see him assert his feelings in a way that Misao can't say no to so this is gonna play a part in making that happen! Anywho, please enjoy this next one! It's gonna bring out some interesting twists!
#####################################################################
The following days were busy ones for Misao. She had less work at the Aoiya as guests were beginning to depart but since that night in the woods when she'd talked with Tenma about her difficult feelings, she'd decided to throw herself into more vigerous training, painting and walks in town, to preoccupy herself.
Everything with Aoshi was still painfully fresh but Misao had no desire to dwell on it so she looked for any and every possible distraction.
With her training in particular, she found a surprising welcomed release from her troubles. She had asked Tenma one day to observe and give her any advice on how to improve and this had resulted in him accompanying her every day afterwards, to observe and instruct her.
However, it wasn't before long that the two of them were engaged in daily training sessions where they sparred with one another and for Misao, it was exciting to have a new opponent who had skills and tactics she was not familiar with. This pushed her to think in a much broader spectrum and she had to force herself beyond her limits if she hoped to beat Tenma in a sparring match.
It went on for almost five days until one day, Misao had been paying extra close attention to each of Tenma's moves and at one point, she nearly had him.
She'd gotten the drop on him and now had him pinned to the ground with her knee to his chest and a spear to his throat (Tenma had been training Misao in the use of other weapons other than her Kunai, explaining to her that every ninja must no one weapon just as well as the next, on the event that they needed to improvise on the spur of the moment).
"I'm surprised Tenma-sama-you left yourself open this time!" She was panting from the exertion of the fight but her eyes were gleaming with engergy.
Tenma grinned. "Yes well, even a ninja tires eventually; especially when his opponent is as young and energetic as you; you are quite relentless Misao-chan. I don't know if I've ever met a more persistent foe."
"I am known for my stubborness."
Misao let out a stunned gasp when she felt something cold and sharp pressing at just below her ribcage.
Her eyes snapped downwards and she was in shock.
It was the blade of a Kunai.
Her eyes snapped back to Tenma's and the blue-eyed ninja was grinning triumphantly. "However, using the force of your own body to trap your opponent is almost always extremely risky because it leaves almost every vulnerable point of your body-open. As you can see." He punctuated this with a gentle nudge of the blade against her side.
Misao groaned and pushed off of him. "Damn it, I could've sworn I checked you for concealed weapons! I don't get how you could've kept that hidden!"
At this, Tenma's cheeks reddened a little but he stared straight at her and his voice was perfectly calm. "There are certain places that a man can conceal his weapon and be almost certain that his opponent would never think to search."
Misao tilted her head quizzically at him.
Tenma's lips twitched into a devilish smirk.
Misao's eyes widened and her cheeks flooded with red. "O-oh, I-as if I would ever-!"
She couldn't formulate any words, she was so embarrassed and feeling Tenma's eyes burning into her wasn't helping matters either. "That is-completely cheating."
He laughed outright at this. "There is no cheating, Misao-san. You just didn't have the presence of mind to search me...thoroughly."
She gawked at him and then whirled her back on him as she picked up her spear and Kunai. "Don't you think that's-a little inappropriate when we're just-sparring? It's not like that would ever be-n-necessary anyway!" She was flustered and exasperated.
Tenma just crossed his arms over his powerful chest and kept on grinning. "You have to consider every possibility Misao-chan. Believe me, there is not a single opponent out there who wouldn't think to conceal their weapons in such a place, merely to spare you of the embarrassment; in fact if you really think about it, your embarassment is a weakness that they could exploit."
"Well I'm sorry but I can't really help that, when the simple fact remains that I've never even been near a man in that way. You can't expect me to-think in-those-perameters." She shook her head, disgruntled and uneasy with the entire converstion and she shook herself off as if she was trying to rid herself of some physical aspect of discomfiture.
Tenma considered her answer for a long moment and then moved towards her, taking up his own discarded weapons. "That is understandable but when you are in the heat of combat, you can't allow your sensitivities to cloud your judgment. YOu have to make a quick decision that will ensure your survival-regardless of how discomfitting it may be."
Misao shot him a side-long glance but when she was met with a serious expression counteracted but a subtle gleam in his eyes, she back-handed his arm and turned away. "Okay, okay that's enough I'm so over this-distasteful conversation." She stood to her feet and marched off.
Tenma trailed behind her and the young ninja was snickering the whole way. "Oh Misao, Misao-you have so much to learn."
She rolled her eyes but couldn't resist a tiny smirk turning up the one corner of her mouth as they neared the Aoiya.
It was almost evening and once they'd cleaned their weapons, they replaced them and each went to wash up for the evening meal.
When they came inside, Tenma was still teasing her and Misao was venemously shushing him though there was a mirthful sparkle in her eyes as she did so.
They were climbed the steps to the engawa and entered the shofuso.
The smell of rice balls, Miso soup and freshly barbequed fish, wafted through the air and the two young people halted their playful banter long enough to close their eyes and savor the aromas.
"Mmm, dinner is going to be amazing." Misao crooned.
Tenma nodded in agreement and the two continued walking. "Perhaps at dinner, you might question Kuro or Aoshi-sama in regards to the methods of concealment I spoke to you about; I'm certain they both have probably used it once or twice in their days-"
"Tenma!" Misao turned in exasperation and swatted Tenma sharply on the shoulder.
Tenma snorted, putting his hands up trying to block Misao's onslaught. "Oh you-have done it now-Tenma-sama-and this isn't even-the worst of it!"
She continued to swat at him with all the energy and persistence she could muster but she couldn't hold back the laughter from bubbling over as she chased Tenma the rest of the way down the hall to the dining room.
Suddenly, the two nearly collided with Aoshi who was just entering the dining room at the same time and once their eyes connected, Tenma and Misao's play-fighting came to a sudden halt.
"Ahem. Excuse us, Aoshi-sama-we were-well that is Misao-chan and I just-we were training."
"Actually we just finished-um just now." Misao picked up where Tenma left off, sensing her comrade's growing unease at being caught in such a compromising possition by her Okashira.
"Training. I see. So you have been assisting Misao then, Yorihisa-sama?" Aoshi's expression was impassive as he spoke and his voice was level.
Misao sighed inwardly; at least he appeared to be mostly unaffected.
"Yes, Aoshi-sama. Misao-chan had actually asked me some time ago to observe her to see if I could give her any advice and-I was happy to do so. She is a fine ninja and quite a persistent fighter; you must be quite proud." He bowed respectfully.
"You must be an excellent judge of character, Yorihisa-sama-concerning Misao. Not many are able to see her potential or recognize her growing skill."
Misao blushed under Aoshi's penetrating stare and modest praise; he'd always pushed her the hardest in training that she'd never thought he actually recognized her for having accomplished skills.
She hid a tiny smile.
"Well I have had the honor of training with her for the last several days-which I'm certain her skill can only be attributed to her having learned from the best." He nodded at Aoshi, indicating it was him he spoke of.
However Aoshi surprised both Tenma and Misao when he shook his head-and the hint of a smile appeared on his lips. "With all do respect, Yorihisa-sama, you are quite mistaken."
Tenma narrowed his eyes at Aoshi quizzically and Misao's eyes snapped up to Aoshi in astonishment.
"Misao's skills as a ninja are something she naturally possesses; I may have guided her in honing her skills but that is all; what Misao possesses in this ability, she possesses by her own merrit. I was merely the teacher. But in many ways-"
...And suddenly his eyes turned and locked onto Misao's as he spoke the last part with pride and conviction. "she has surpassed me in both her skill, her spirit and her strength as a warrior."
His expression remained serene but there was a subtle proud glimmer in his eyes as he looked at her and spoke of her.
Misao knew her cheeks were flamming more furiously by the minute from both embarrassment and soaring joy that Aoshi found so much pride in her.
And to think, he only attributed his training her as a small part of her skills; it seemed that Aoshi firmly believed that she was adeptly skillful and even surpassing him in many aspects!
Surpassing Aoshi!?
For her it was a very humbling and overwhelming thought! Definitely one she wasn't at all certain had any amount of truth to it; she saw herself still having much to learn from Aoshi and she had been aching for the day when he would finally push her to the next difficult step in her training...
...yet now, it appeared that Aoshi's viewpoint was vastly different from hers; he felt that she was swiftly surpassing him which would only mean that he saw her as more than capable of coming into her own and completing her training as a full-fledged Iga ninja.
It staggered her at the amount of faith and pride Aoshi held in her; something she had never known before and never would have dreamed possible.
"I understand. Forgive my dismissiveness from before." Tenma bowed apologetically to Aoshi and to Misao.
"It was not my intent to insinuate that Misao was not a skilled ninja in her own right."
Misao shook her head, laying a hand on Tenma's arm. "Oh don't worry, Tenma-sama there is no need. Aoshi-sama understands and so do I. You must be hungry, please." She smiled and gestured for him to go ahead of them into the dining hall.
As soon as Tenma disappeared ahead of them, Aoshi took a step forward towards the half-opened Shoji...but stopped short when he felt a hand on his arm.
His head swung to the side to find a slightly-trembling Misao with eyes trained to the floor, flushing cheeks and fingers gripping the sleeve of his uniform.
"Aoshi-sama I-"
She bit her lip. Something that always had Aoshi's eyes glued to her plucky pink lips, hungering to taste them again.
He gritted his teeth and tore his eyes away from her tempting mouth, returning their focus again to her face.
She slowly lifted her eyes to meet his. "Thank you-it-it means a lot to me that you-are proud of my skills as a ninja and that you feel I have learned from you well.
...it means the world to me..." Her cheeks reddened again and she tore her eyes away, starring self-consciously at the floor.
Warm, calloused fingers came to wrap around her tiny hand, causing a tiny breath to escape her lips as her eyes snapped up to his face.
Aoshi looked deeply into her eyes, his azure orbs serious and intense.
And then...he smiled.
It was a very subtle expression, almost ghost-like but Misao caught the corners of his mouth when the slightly curved upwards and the way his eyes lit up ever so slightly.
"I have always been proud of you, Misao-I should have let you know as much, more often."
This little piece of heart-felt sincerety was enough to make Misao's body possitively quiver with untold delight.
Her heart raced when his hand tightened around hers just enough to make her breath stop and she closed her eyes, inhaled deeply and tried to calm her racing nerves.
"Misao, Aoshi-sama the food is getting chilled!" It was Omasu's cheery voice that called to them from the dining room and it shook Misao out of her daydreaming.
"W-well we should probably hurry in; Omasu hates it when anyone lets her food get cold." Misao ended this with a soft giggle and a sweet smile up at her Okashira before turning and walking into the dining room.
Aoshi's breathing hitched when she'd smiled and he felt reluctant to let go of her hand.
However, he was quite surprised when Misao's fingers tightened around his as he was letting go of her.
His steel blue eyes snapped upwards and they were met with an entreating, innocent expression from Misao.
He felt he could read into her thoughts completely in that moment.
She didn't want him to let go of her hand.
It was the tiniest of gestures and the most minimal physical contact that any two human beings could ever share between themselves, yet for Misao, it seemed that the simple act of him holding her hand, held so much more meaning for her and right now, she needed his hand around hers.
Aoshi's heart nearly leapt with joy, taking this as a possitive sign from her.
A sign that she was starting to trust him again; with her feelings and maybe soon, she would once again trust him with her heart.
But he didn't want to get ahead of himself. He want to live and relish in every single moment with her and so-with more confidence and joy than the young Okashira had ever felt was humanly possible-he tightened his hold once again on Misao's hand and the two of them walked into the dining room, together.
Hand in hand.