DISCLAIMERS: *the usual* ^-^x [Sumanai, de gozaru yo. I can't think of an appropriate title as of now. Can anyone help, please?] *************************************** She smiles as she watches the spunky sixteen-year-old girl dart out of the kitchen, surprisingly managing not to upset the tea on her tray. Blue eyes sparkle with morning vigor, the long raven braid shimmers with bursts of sunlight scattered upon the smooth black crown. A strong, energetic voice shouts out a quick "Ohayo gozaimash'ta!" before disappearing into the temple. She doesn't have to return the greeting verbally; the morning is vibrant in her own hazel eyes. A cool, gentle breeze teases the wisps of soft, plentiful dark brown hair, pulled up into a neat little bun. She holds back an amused chuckle as she hears the same voice that had just greeted her greeting the only man who would be up in that temple at that time of the day. "Ohayo gozaimashita, Aoshi-sama!" The voice reverberates strongly, surely meant to be heard by everyone within the district and possibly beyond -- but most especially, to be heard by the one to whom it was being addressed, he who always seems to hear but doesn't respond, he who has the sharpest, most eloquently spoken words for strangers, yet never for an affectionate morning greeting for the person to whom just his smile would matter the most. Who else but Aoshi-sama, the cold-faced former Okashira of the Onmitsu Oniwabanshuu? She strains to listen, if perhaps the beauty of this particular morning would elicit a response never given before. Nothing, nothing but the quiet shuffling of knees, and the slightest tinkling melody of a tea tray being placed on the floor. An almost inaudible sigh of defeat reaches her ears, and for a moment, she wonders if it was just her imagination. With a wry smile, she reminds herself that nothing, not even the ends of time, or perhaps the Devil himself, could mar a pure, innocent, lifelong affection that had, most probably, branched out now into love. As she stands among the trees, lost in thought, a loud, yet dignified voice calls out to her: "Oi, Omasu-chan! Won't you come and help me get breakfast ready?" Omasu turns and nods obligingly at her old friend. "Hai.. I'll be right there, Okon." Casting a final glance at the temple, from which the Okashira's vigilant young guardian angel has not yet emerged, she makes her way back to the welcoming wooden embrace of the Aoiya, where the other Onmitsu -- her friends, her family -- await. OWARI 1/7/2000 For Cloi-Cloi-chan, who celebrates her fourth birthday today ~*~ Quite short, wasn't it? ^^; I guess I was in the mood for something short, sweet and simple -- none of the dark angst or deeply introspective types. I think I did it in about half an hour, most possibly less... fifteen minutes at least... I'm growing to like this underrated ninja girl... guess it's because of the cute Omasu pics I chanced upon. Poor girl, doesn't even have a shrine of her own! I think the only Omasu fic I ever read was "The Sword and the Ponytail" by Kristin-san, so I decided to do a little piece on her, sort of my own tribute to this deserving onmitsu! Soooooooo, can anyone help with the title? My mind isn't in the appropriate frame of mind for conjuring up a title that would generalize this whole fic. ^^ ~*~ Comments: Lily-dono: Good work on "Vindictive Spirits!" Though the first chapter seemed a teeny bit rushed for me, I understand completely. Had I been writing it, I woulda wanted to skip to the Misao/Soujirou moments! I do have great respect for this couple, greatly due to Sariah-chan's "Wild as the Wind" alternate pairings songfic series. And I'm not exactly sure why, but when you introduced Shishio's sister as 'Shishira', I just burst into laughter! I don't mean that as an insult, really, I don't even know why I did that! Still, you've done good work on this fic! Krista Perry's "Snow Raven": Being a major Battousai/Tomoe fan, I must say that this is *the* best B/T fic I've ever read. You've captured the feel of the moment perfectly; you make people *believe* in Tomoe. You capture her human side, which is mostly looked over by other fans. I like the humorous parts a lot, and the haiku poems that appear at the start of every chapter. Heh heh, I think Battousai is so... *disturbed* when she's around because she asks him questions that make him stop in his tracks and think twice. Very well done... expecting more! Keep it up! Siew Lee Wong (Did I spell it correctly? Sumanai if I didn't!): I love "Embracing the Sword" (or "Dreams in the Dark" or whatever the title is). Everything about it makes perfect sense, and something about the dark, evocative mood of the story just reminds me of Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles... ^^ The four-level test initiation for Oniwabanshuu membership makes perfect sense... I guess that's what I love most about this fic... it's so historically sensible, it could actually have been *real.* I especially like how you did Okina's character. ^.~ More, please? Naga-sama: Excellent job on "Darkest Shadows, Brightest Lights!" I think this is one of my favorite fics ever, though I do have to wait a while before receiving the latest installments. Your power of description is excellent, you know how to penetrate into the heart of the moment. The Battousai/Okita skirmish was very beautifully written, and you captured Saitou's personality perfectly, as well as the heat of the moment of various events in history. I also like the way you did Kyosuke, and I liked the latest chapters a lot, though there seems to be less and less of Okita... Anyway, we want more! Pearl Louis: Hey, when will you post new chapters of "Innocent Killer"/"Wolf's Blood"? I absolutely enjoyed reading these fics; you sure know how to entertain the SSG fans! You sure have a way with words, and I loved the way you did Okita, Saitou, Kenshin and Tokio. When do we see more? Serizawa Kamo-san: Well, when it comes to nearest to perfect historical accuracy in fics, nothing could possibly beat "Aitou, Soshite Kibou" in the arena. There's somewhat a haunting, eerie atmosphere about this fic, and you have a way of describing the world as they see it. Many other excellent fics do angst, humor, WAFF, drama, romance very well, but between the lines of this fic (strictly IMHO) is pure, hard-core *conviction*, which is clearly portrayed in every battle, and practically in every scene in the fic. Sooooooo, when does this ML get graced with more? ^_^x And a million trillion thanks to Lily-dono, Jan Story and Callista-chan for giving comments on my only fic posted on the ML so far. You guys are the best! God bless you all, and have a great day! And before I go, konbanwa, minna! Affectionately, Chibi-Chiriko __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! Messenger. http://im.yahoo.com --------------------------- 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 ------------------------------------------------------------------------