- Chapter 7: Author's Note: -

Once again, I am so sorry for the lack of updates.

I am back now, and I know this chapter will be much longer than the chapter I gave to tide you guys over till the next series of chapters.

As I've said, I do not own any original characters or plotlines of this perfect series written by Nobuhiro Watsuki. Therefore, I am merely adding a different plotline to create a chance for Aoshi and Misao to get together sooner and Himura/Kaoru and Sanosuke/Megumi. I might even throw in some Yahiko/Tsubame and Saito/Tokio. :D

- Chapter 7: Pre-Wedding Reunions: -

Misao's POV:

Flashback to the Previous Chapter:

Then when they parted from their kiss, Misao, who was still recovering from the headiness she received from his kisses, couldn't speak. So instead, it was he who spoke up first while looking at Misao endearingly, "Patience Misao-mine, the ceremony will be here before you know it, and you know you will feel better if you have your friends here; for an occasion such as our marriage."

END OF FLASHBACK

She rolled her eyes but relented, knowing Aoshi was right. Misao may not have wanted to wait to marry her lover; however, she waited this long; what was another couple of days to her who's stayed waiting twelve years?

When she married the man of her dreams, Misao wanted Kaoru and the others there. So, instead of being tormented further by his kisses which held promises of what was to come once they married, Misao pushes Aoshi out of the room. Then, Misao commands him to go and tell Okina the joyous news before slamming the shoji shut in his humor-filled and slightly incredulous face.

Two Days Later:

The Aoiya is fairly bustling between the many well-wishers for Misao and Aoshi and the regular clientele. The employees are also busy handling the preparations for the wedding, seeing as Misao was too injured to take on any such heavy lifting and stressful tasks. But, unfortunately, that is not how Misao felt.

If Misao had had her way, she would have been able to help; however, they did not let her, claiming once more that she was, indeed, too injured for any such things, including HER wedding. Insert an eye roll here from Misao.

The wedding was a week away, and Misao wondered if, hiding the fact that she was getting married in her letter to Kaoru. She and the others of the Kenshin-gumi may have yet to decide to come. Or worse, Kenshin might have grown a wild strand of hair and deemed it unsafe for the others to go to Kyoto and is on his way alone.

Instead of writing that she was getting married, Misao had reported that she was seriously injured and needed assistance with the Yaro clan. Her letter was not too far off from the truth, as she needed help concerning the rogue band of ninjas terrorizing Japan. However, Misao only wanted to surprise the others of her marriage and lured them out here with something else in her letter.

Now she hoped for Yahiko to have read that letter so that she might successfully surprise them.

Misao felt a warrior-ki pressing against hers inquisitively, and she knew it had to be Kenshin.

Misao looked out her Okashira's office window hopefully. But her hopes and plan had not been in vain; the full Kenshin-gumi stood outside the Aoiya gates gazing at all the red decorations on the roofs and gates.

She sighed happily at seeing the shocked looks on their faces and that her plan had worked.

Misao, who couldn't move very fast due to her injuries, expected to meet them at the reception area. But, hilariously enough, her friends were nowhere in sight when she reached the receptionist's desk. She could only guess that they were still staring in shock at the obviousness of what would take place very soon.

Slowly once more and growling at her fragility right at that moment, Misao took one heavy step after another until she came upon another hilarious sight from where she stopped at the terrace of the Aoiya.

It was hysterical to Misao that her friends were still too stunned to do anything but stare at a particular decoration posted on the Aoiya gate's door, a sign declaring the upcoming nuptials of Makimachi Misao and Shinomori Aoshi.

A laugh bubbled from her lips at the sight of such hilarity, finally drawing their gazes to her, and she yelled, "You guys made it!"

Misao dreaded walking down those steps as her leg and back still seared with pain at every step she took, but she was too excited at having her friends here with her on such happy terms that she did not care if she was in any more pain.

Wincing as she took the first step off the veranda, Misao locked eyes with a concerned-looking Kenshin Himura, who immediately saw that she was struggling to walk. He moved like lightning and was at the bottom, grabbing her hand before she made it to the second step and helping her the rest of the way down the five-step elevated porch.

Once the sudden wave of dizziness passed, she quickly wrapped him into a gentler hug than she would have usually given him. Kenshin also made sure to be delicate in returning the embrace and said softly, "Congratulations to you on your upcoming marriage Misao-dono. I wondered if you have yet to succeed in your mission to gain that smile from your beloved, but seeing what is to happen, I'd say you did it."

Misao smiled and whispered something that made Kenshin do his famous "Oro?"

She nodded and laughed, "It's true. I said I wanted to marry that day he had asked me because I wanted to marry before he changed his mind. So then, I said you guys would have to deal with the celebrations, and it happened right then and there, surprising the heck out of me!"

Misao and Kenshin shared a private laugh between them before she turned to Kaoru Kamiya, her best friend, who was only a couple of steps away.

Misao limped her way over to her friend, who right then noticed Misao's condition, and Misao gripped her in a gentle hug before she could say anything to draw more attention to her injuries. Misao was self-conscious of her condition because she felt weak but did not want to admit her fragility.

Misao blurted out, "Kaoru! I'm glad you came, are you surprised? I wanted to tell you about my happy news in person, so I only chose to tell you about the other things that happened on my way back from Tokyo, which we can discuss after the wedding. I want everything until after the wedding to be only about happy things, not dark and dangerous stuff. Hmm? Does that sound like a deal? Because I'm not giving you guys a choice, I will not say a thing until after the wedding. Although, I promise everyone, including me, is safe for the moment."

Kaoru nodded and finally spoke, "I'm so happy for you, Misao; you finally snagged the man of your dreams! How does it feel to be married first out of all us girls who never thought you might be the first?"

Misao laughs but keeps her voice low, even though knowing Kenshin can probably hear her words, "Oh, it feels great, but lately, I keep wondering when I will hear that Kenshin has proposed. Haha! I can't wait till I hear those words! At this point, I think even the brat might get married before he gets the balls to ask you out on a date!"

"Misao!" Kaoru whisper-hissed to the still giggling young woman. Misao had wanted Kenshin to hear her, so she didn't feel bad at how loud she may have been. But she truly wanted him to catch the hint from her words. It was his turn now to let go of his past and accept the love coming his way abundantly from a certain tanuki.

Before Misao could warn someone not to touch her, someone swept her into a fierce hug akin to a bear's strength. Misao couldn't help but let a short scream escape through her lips at the searing pain where the ever-oblivious one, Sanosuke Sagara, pressed the wound in her back with incredible force.

In an instant, the rooster-headed man sets her down gently, and the next, a familiar arm roughly shoots out and pushes him back several feet before curling towards her and pulling her backward and into the strong chest of her to-be husband.

She turns in his all-encasing arms and gazes up at him warmly while placing a calming hand on his bare and somewhat sweaty chest. Her right hand, which rested upon his muscular pec, pressed on his cheek until he turned his face to the side and down to where she looked up at him lovingly.

Finally, she put her hand back on his chest, where she unconsciously began to soothingly pet his upper chest in a downward motion while speaking softly, "I'm fine, anata. You know he's oblivious sometimes. So let it go, honey."

Then, an incredulous voice spoke jokingly and mockingly, "Sometimes? Are you talking about our rooster or someone else's? Ohohohoho"

"Hey! I thought it was a prank to get us to come here as fast as we can!" an incredulous voice replies somewhat angrily.

Suddenly Sanosuke's ear was grabbed between two finely manicured fingernails and pinched, "Baka! She's so obviously injured! Did you see how every step down those stairs was painful for her? That's why Ken-san assisted her, like the true gentleman he is. If she were indeed pranking us to get us to come out here, the pretense would have ended when we showed up. Misao would have hugged us all to death within five seconds of our arrival at the gates. Speaking of injuries, move out of the way, you rooster-head." Megumi then pushed the six-foot-tall wall of muscle out of her way before coming to a few steps from where Misao stood in her lover's arms.

"It is lovely to see you are getting married to Aoshi-san, Misao, and I am truly happy for you both. However, as a doctor, I demand to see your injuries before any such wedding can occur. Judging from your state, you can barely walk, are pale and flushed, and have a fever. Worse enough, you probably haven't said anything about having a fever to anyone, have you?" Megumi's gaze was critical, and Misao winced at being called out in front of her to-be husband.

Misao sighed before speaking, "No, I have not said anything. But you are not the only woman medically trained; I am taking the proper medicines for fevers and pain. Don't look so distrustfully at me; I have learned medicine since childhood. For the ten years that Aoshi was gone, I had been training in healing ways and pharmaceuticals because the others would not teach me much more than self-defense. I had to contribute to the clan if I wanted to be seen with the respect my birthright demanded. I had to find my place in this clan as the main healer. That's why I couldn't contribute much to the fight against Shishio and his men two years ago."

Megumi nodded but stubbornly demanded to see Misao's injuries, to which Misao relented.

Aoshi, who had tensed in her arms at hearing she was feverish, finally relaxed with Misao promising to let Megumi see to her.

After being ignored for too long, in his opinion, Yahiko finally butted in before getting hit on the head for his next words, "How'd you get hurt, weasel? Did you finally pick on someone too big? Hahahaha…."

Kaoru pulls her fist back to a relaxed position at her side before saying, "I'm sure Misao's injuries are not from picking a fight but rather something more serious than such behavior. She has already told me she doesn't want to discuss what happened until after the wedding, so no asking!"

Kaoru turned to Misao with an apology that was practically written on her face and said, "Sorry, he's just mad that his girlfriend, Tsubame-chan, and her adoptive mother, Tae-san, couldn't make it. They both had thought it was some dangerous mission we were being recruited for and didn't want to get in the way."

"Hey!" Yahiko shouted at getting exposed for liking Tsubame, even though every single one of us, yes, including the rooster, would have been able to spot that a mile away.

After glaring at Yahiko for so rudely interrupting her, Kaoru continued her speech with, "Although funnily enough, they did think something was weird about you asking them to come along too when it was 'supposedly dangerous.' But, if you had only written them a separate letter swearing them to secrecy, none of us would be the wiser. Maybe Kenshin might have thought something weird, but I guarantee you he did not see this one coming! Hahaha!"

A throat clearing silenced Kaoru's laughter and everyone else in the courtyard of the Aoiya, "Thank you all for coming; Misao has been anxiously awaiting your arrival for two days. First, however, we should go inside. Lately, Misao tires easily."

Misao snapped her eyes upwards to glare at the man who spoke as if she was disabled and couldn't stand outside on a cloudy day without collapsing. But soon after shooting him a death stare, she softened her look as soon as he turned his attention to her and gazed at her oh-so lovingly.

Misao sighed happily before taking the arm her Aoshi-sama held out for her to lean on. She was still somewhat tired from her wounds and being too excited since the proposal. She had stayed up late every night because she could not wait for her friends to arrive and tell them the happy news.

The entire group stood in shock at how intimate the infamously named "icicle," Aoshi Shinomori, was with Misao when he began leading her up the steps and into the inn.

Yahiko snorts while telling Sanosuke beside him, "So the icicle does have feelings… and for the weasel of all people! Hahaha!"

Yahiko only enjoyed a one-breath laugh before a kunai whizzed above his head at just the right height to create a canyon-like part in the center of his hair.

It was so fast that none other than Misao or Kenshin could tell who threw the kunai; it was Misao or Aoshi. But, of course, everyone knew that Yahiko would now need that haircut he had been pushing off forever, so they all began to laugh at his dispense.

Yahiko's demands of knowing what was so funny renewed their laughter. Then, he felt a breeze on the top of his head, and he yelled in despair.

Kenshin smiled at the couple, laughing softly and impressed with how fast Aoshi had thrown that kunai. The Oniwaban's ex-leader had been held back before by his insurmountable rage at the deaths of his comrades. Now that Aoshi was in his right frame for a battle, Kenshin could not tell who would win between them should the two ever cross swords again.

Before he followed the others inside the inn, Kenshin thought, Aoshi-san indeed has a pure smile in his heart now that he's forgiven himself for the pain he's previously caused Misao-dono.

-End of Chapter 7: Wedding Reunions: -

See, I told you I would post this chapter real soon! I am glad I got this much in tonight, and I hope to see you all soon with another couple of chapters. :D

Many Thanks,

-ItachiMusume1

- End of Chapter 7: Author's Note 2: -