From: Ashfae It's done it's done it's DONE! I fulfilled my vow to get this done before the end of the year! With eight hours to spare, too! YAAAHHOO! IT'S DONE! Now, back to Beauty and the Battousai! ******************************************************* Koiji: Love's Pathway Chapter Six: Kenkon'itteki ******************************************************* Misao woke slowly, wincing away from the sunlight. She was so warm and comfortable...surely no one would mind if she slept in a little bit...she sighed with contentment, rolling over onto her side and breathing in deeply. Idly, she noticed that the blanket covering her smelled odd...musky. It reminded her of something, and a small part of her brain was curious enough to shake off sleep and try to figure out what that something might be. The rest of her protested, wanting to go back to sleep, until- with a shock- she remembered. **Aoshi-sama!** Her eyes flew open, and she sat up in bed. Her glance flickered over the room, taking in all the details. Aoshi was nowhere to be seen; every trace of him had vanished entirely. Her own clothes had been neatly folded beside her mat. If it hadn't been for the smell of him surrounding her- and the fact that she was stark naked- Misao might have been tempted to think she'd dreamed everything. Blushing furiously, she pushed aside the blanket and pulled on her clothes. She shivered, all at once remembering very clearly how it'd felt to have Aoshi's hands touching her. **Oh lord, I'm going to have flashbacks all day, I just know it...if anyone asks me what I'm thinking about, I'll probably die!** Dressed, she looked around more closely, but the simple room only confirmed what she already knew: Aoshi was nowhere to be found. Misao admitted to herself that she was hurt that he'd left before morning...and worried. **What if he regrets it? What if he's changed his mind? Damn him! Why is it always so hard to tell what he's thinking?** With a sigh, she reached for her sandals. Her eyes widened with surprise as she saw the small scrap of parchment resting on her sandals. It was folded in half, with her name written elegantly on the outside in Aoshi's handwriting. Her relief was quickly followed by nervousness. **I'd forgotten how beautiful his calligraphy is...** she thought wistfully. **Here goes nothing.** She picked up the piece of paper and opened it. **I need to speak with you,** it read. **If you will, meet me beside the graves of the Oniwabanshuu this afternoon. -Aoshi** Misao pursed her lips, drifting somewhere between curiosity and concern. **This is it,** she thought grimly. **But, Kami-sama, if he tells me that he's not worthy of me and is leaving so that I can be free to chase after Sanosuke, I'm gonna kick his ass.** **It's already late in the morning. If I want to get there by afternoon, I should leave now. Gomen, Kaoru-san...but you're on your own for breakfast today. I hope Yahiko doesn't tease you too much!** ************************ *puff, puff, whew, puff, puff* **Damn it, Aoshi-sama, couldn't you have picked someplace *closer?!!*** Misao trudged through the forest on weary legs, sweaty hair sticking to the back of her neck. She tugged at it angrily. **I should just cut all this off. It's impractical anyway.** **Though Aoshi-sama certainly seemed to enjoy it last night...** She smiled somewhat wistfully, remembering. **Maybe I can keep it long. It's not that much trouble. Oh god, I must look like a mess! What in the hell was I thinking...what in the hell is *he* thinking by asking me to meet him all the way up *here?!?!?*** She paused leaning against a tree to catch her breath. Her eyebrows furrowed with determination. **Screw it. He liked me well enough last night, when I was all dressed up. Let's see if he still likes me now that I'm all sweaty and dressed like the onmitsu I am.** **Though if it was just the kimono he found attractive, I really *am* going to kill him! And then I'll kill Sano!** Scowling, worried, afraid, angry, she broke into the clearing where the graves were. He was there. Just standing in the center of the clearing, looking for all the world as if he'd been out for an afternoon walk. Completely unpreturbed. Except that Misao's keen eye caught sight of all the pine needles that were disturbed on the ground around him, and she wondered. If she didn't know any better, she would've sworn that he'd been pacing...**Well, maybe he has. Who knows what Aoshi-sama does when no one's watching?** **You do, you idiot, you used to spy on him when you were a kid...** Shut up, shut up, this is **not** the time to be arguing with myself!** His voice snapped her back into reality. "You came." Misao blinked then she scowled at him. "Of *course* I came, you idiot!" He was looking away from her now. "I...wasn't sure if you would." The small suspicion she'd had since morning took hold a bit more firmly. **Great. He feels guilty and is leaving, he's not worthy, he doesn't love me...oh hush, Misao, just listen to what he has to say for once. How often has he ever gone out of his way to tell you something? But please, god please, don't let him leave me now...not when we're so close...!** She took a deep breath. "Ano...what did you want to talk about?" His voice was very quiet. "You never answered my question, last night." Question? Misao pursed her lips, trying to remember... **What is there between you and Sagara Sanosuke?** **What's it to you?** "You never answered my question, either," she responded. **Well, he sort of did,** she amended silently. **But I still want to hear him say it now.** The silence stretched out between them, and finally Misao gave up. It wasn't much of a concession, to answer his question, not when the truth was so simple..."Nothing. There isn't anything between Sano and me. We're friends, that's all." She could see some of the tension go out of his shoulders, and was relieved. **So, he *was* worried...** But it wasn't much of a comfort. She still didn't know what he intended to do about her. **Please...** Quietly, she repeated the question she had asked the night before. "What's it to you?" Pause. He took a deep breath. "Makimachi Misao," he said, almost whispering. "Will you marry me?" ************************************************* The words hung between them in the air; almost he wished he could pull them back, unsay them. Anything to get rid of the tension he felt, waiting for her to answer. **Please...** The plea floated through his mind unbidden, and he couldn't tell what he was hoping for- a yes, a no, any end to the waiting... Minutes passed like hours, and finally he had to force himself to meet her eyes. They were wide and astonished; she was biting her lip, looking very worried. "Why are you asking me?" she asked. **Why?** he thought in surprise. "After last night, you need to ask?" Her eyes flashed. "You *bastard!*" she shouted. "You're asking me just because of...*that*, aren't you? Did you think you were forcing me? Do you think you have to...to make it up to me, or something?" She'd rushed towards him and was beating her fists against his chest- not hard enough to hurt, but definitely hard enough to be noticeable. Stunned, he just looked down at her. "I am *not* at all ashamed of what *we* did, and if you are, then I'll...I'll skin you and feed you to rats! So if you're asking me to marry you because you think you owe it to me, or because of what happened, or for *any* reason except that you love me, then..." Her blows weakened; he could see her hands shaking. "Then..." The words slipped out before he could stop them, astonishing him just as much as they did her. "But I do love you." She froze, clutching the front of his shirt. In a very small voice that tugged at his heart, she whispered, "Really?" "Yes." Something in him demanded that he be completely honest, so he continued, slowly. "I can't promise things will be easy...I can't promise anything at all, but I do-" With a happy little cry she leapt at him, her weight hitting him soundly in the chest and forcing him to take a step back; he hit a tree, and leaned against it as she wrapped her legs around his waist. His arms had wrapped around her automatically, helping to support her against him. Her mouth had ended up right next to his ear, and she whispered "Yes" before grabbing his face between her hands and kissing him. He was too stunned to respond at first, intoxicated by the light touch of her lips brushing his, her body wrapped around him. "Yes?" he repeated finally, pulling away a bit to look at her. "Yes." She kissed him again, her tongue darting against his lips until, finally, she coaxed his mouth into responding to hers. His arms tightened around her as a wave of heat washed through his body, forcing him to be aware of every facet of their position...one of his hands supporting her behind, the other pressing against her back, her knees tight against his sides, stray tendrils of hair tickling his skin, and all he could think was her...her nose bumped into his; that touch snapped him out of the trance. "Misao, we shouldn't be..." "Why not?" she asked against his mouth, her breath mingling with his. He was finding it more and more hard to concentrate. "You shouldn't-" "I don't care." He forced their mouths apart with a gasp that he couldn't quite suppress. "You are making this very difficult," he said, as sternly as he could manage. A smile spread slowly across her features, and she let her fingers drift along the curve of his jaw. Her head moved forward until her forehead was pressed against his, their noses just barely touching. "Good." Slowly, tenderly, she kissed him once more. ************************************************* They stayed in that position for a while longer, enjoying the peace of the moment. But Misao's knees were becoming tired with the strain of holding her up against him, so reluctantly she disengaged herself and stood in front of him. Thus seperated, she was all at once shy, and blushing *very* furiously. "So, umm...what now?" she asked. Aoshi blinked. "I hadn't actually thought that far ahead." Misao couldn't help herself; she started laughing. **Aoshi-sama, not planning ahead? That's probably something I'll never hear him say again...he's glaring at me, I shouldn't laugh at him, but I just can't help it. It's about bloody time he got used to being laughed at, anyway. He's far too serious.** Smiling, she reached out and took his hand. "We'll figure it out." He squeezed her fingers. "We should probably start by returning to the Aoiya. I didn't actually tell Okina where I was going; he may be concerned." Misao raised an eyebrow. "You really think he couldn't have guessed?" Almost he smiled. Almost. She grinned up at him. "But yes, I agree. I think my vacation is about over with anyway. But we have to go back to the dojo first, to say goodbye to everyone. Kaoru would be really pissed if I left without saying goodbye." "Of course. I can meet up with you afterwards-" "Oh no you don't, Aoshi-sama!" Misao interrupted, stamping her foot on the ground. "You are coming back with me, you *will* stay and say goodbye with me, and you are *not* going anyplace without me. At least, not until we're married. Get used to the idea." She scowled at him, and this time there really was a small smile on his face. "As you wish. Shall we go, then?" Her answering smile was warmer than the sunlight around them. ************************ Kaoru was holding her, and then Yahiko was roughly bidding her goodbye, doing his best to make it look as though he wasn't going to miss her. Kenshin was smiling at her while chatting with Aoshi, who almost looked content. Someone clapped her on the back. "So, weasel girl," Sano's voice boomed from above her. "We're invited to the wedding, right?" Misao whirled around and hugged him tight around the waist. "Absolutely, rooster head. I'll whup your ass in Kyoto just as often as I did out here." "Suuuuuuuure you will." He grinned. "I haven't shown you half of the tricks I've got up my sleeves." She grinned right back. "And I haven't shown you half of the ones I know." **Like all those knives hidden in my clothing...heh.** "I look forward to wiping that smirk off of your face." "So do I." He smiled genuinely at her then, and bent down to ask quietly. "You're happy, right?" "Yup," she whispered back. "Very. Though I don't think Aoshi-sama's realized exactly what he's gotten himself into yet." "He doesn't know how lucky he is. You take care of yourself, pretty, all right? And if anything ever goes wrong, you let me know." "I will." She stood up on her tiptoes and placed a kiss on his cheek. "I'll see you later, Sano. You take care of yourself too. And be sure to not let that fox get away from you." He jumped, and Misao giggled. He rubbed the back of his head, looking sheepish. "Uh, okay, I'll do that." Misao felt a hand rest on her shoulder, and knew immediately whose it was. She reached up and covered it with her own hand, leaning back against the person behind her. Sano grinned at Aoshi, without any trace of the challenge that had laid between them the day before. "Congradulations, Shinomori. You've got yourself quite a catch there." The response was quiet, and not quite trusting. "Thank you." Misao elbowed him in the ribs; she'd tried her best on the way back to the dojo to convince Aoshi that there really wasn't any need for him to be jealous of Sanosuke. Apparently he still needed convincing. Sano shrugged, winked at Misao, and then let out a yelp as Yahiko beaned him in the back of the head with a shinai. Within seconds the two were at it tooth and nail. Misao looked around to find Kenshin and Kaoru standing side by side, watching. Smiling, she walked forward, bowing to both of them. "Thank you very much for your hospitality." Kaoru grabbed her in another hug. "It was our pleasure, Misao-chan. You're welcome here anytime." The older girl looked up, smiling at the quiet man a few feet away. "You two, Shinomori-san. You're both always welcome here." Misao had tears in her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered. "No problem." Kaoru grinned, and leaned forward to whisper in her ear. "You can thank me by naming your first child after me." Misao felt her ears burning, and could only smile like an idiot. She was doing an awful lot of that today, it seemed. Oh well, it'd probably stop eventually. She turned back to Aoshi, and found him watching her intently. The look in his eyes sent shivers down her spine. **Then again, maybe not.** "Are you ready?" he asked. She nodded, picking up her bag and slinging it over her shoulder. "Let's go." "'Bye, Misao-chan! Goodbye, Shinomori-san! Come back soon!" Kaoru waved after them. "And have a safe and quiet journey!" Kenshin added. **Safe? Probably. But quiet?** Misao grinned to herself, glancing up at the tall man beside her. **Not if I have anything to say about it...several days with no one else around sounds like heaven to me. Aoshi might be determined to wait until we're married, but *I'm* not!** Her grin grew even wider. The path stretched out before them; side by side, they began the journey home. ********************************************************************* Kenkon'itteki: To stake all on something So it's a bit rushed. I wanted it done by the New Year. Actually, I just wanted it done. Yay! =) Ashley B. AKA Ashfae ashfae@duct-tape.mit.edu http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/8264/anime.html "I have no life! And I can prove it mathematically!" --------------------------- ONElist Sponsor ---------------------------- GRAB THE GATOR! FREE SOFTWARE DOES ALL THE TYPING FOR YOU! Tired of filling out forms and remembering passwords? Gator fills in forms and passwords with just one click! Comes with $50 in free coupons! Click Here ------------------------------------------------------------------------