From: Chibi-Chiriko Konnichiwa, minna-san! Before jumping right to the fic, I'd like to extend my deepest gratitude to the few really cool people who were sweet enough to comment on the Kamatari fic and the "Velvet Underworld" songfic. Thanks, guys, I really really appreciated it. And I hope you'll all like this new fic I have -- the first series fic I'm posting on this ML. It's NOT Kenshin (smirks evilly), it's gonna be about Aoshi and Misao, from Aoshi's POV. It's angst, it doesn't have a happy ending, and it's *not* your usual A & M story. Yeah, they do get together here, but in a different way, and although it's about them both, the light shines more on Aoshi. It takes place sometime during the five years after the Jinchuu Saga. They're both a little older, though with little changes in their personalities. Yet even though nothing appears to change on the surface, their love for each other grows deep within, until it finally emerges one warm summer night... (Shucks, I feel sooooooooo sappy >_<) HOW TO READ THIS FIC: Ang arte ko talaga! *flinch* Yeah, okay, I know I'm being too fussy, but I just wanna make sure this fic gets to you *right.* And I don't mean the the format, I'm talking about the *impact.* It wasn't easy for me to write this thing, since I was mostly baring my emotions as I spoke through Aoshi, and the least that can be done is that it gets to you right. Okay. First of all, if you're tired and sleepy, *don't* read this fic. It starts off on a misty night note, where you get the feel of stickin' around while a restaurant's closing, where you feel all stuffed and warm and you're about to doze off... you'll *really* fall asleep! If action, suspense and spine-tingling stuff float your boat, then I don't think this is for you. This is the story of a man's depression, desperation, and finally, his ultimate decision. Less descriptive than previous works, touches more on the man's emotions than on anything else. If you like romance, well, there's a considerable amount of *that* in this fic, but it's more of a 'surface' thing; the mood of this fic is *not* romantic, rather, it's somewhat dark and brooding, takes on a haunted tone of voice. So if you like light, funny stuff, and if you don't think you can *stand* another dark fic, uhh, go look for a spamfic to read instead. Now if you're depressed, or lonely (and I pray you're not!), or if you just like dark, sad stuff, then this is for you. Relax, play some sad music if you wish, and let the words come to you naturally. And since I could hear Aoshi's melancholy voice in my head as I wrote it, you'll get the feel of it if you imagine Aoshi reading it to you. Read it in your head with his voice, and try to see the images as he describes them. Momentary pauses may be necessary, to rest your eyes and ponder on my, er, Aoshi's whining. (though he doesn't really *whine*, he just *broods*) And of course, all kinds of comments and unrelated email may be sent to ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ DISCLAIMERS: Rurouni Kenshin belongs to Nobuhiro Watsuki, Jump Comics, Shueisha, Fuji TV and SPE Visual Works. This is a nonprofit work of fanfiction; all original RK characters are used without permission from the owners. No copyright infringement intended. REIKI by: Chibi-Chiriko ACT ONE: As Leaves Fall It's hard to believe that all of this began the way it did. Nevertheless, that's the truth, the heart of the matter. Strange as it may sound, all of this *did* stem from the events of that warm summer night in the Shirobeko. It was almost closing time, and as the rest of the Oniwabanshuu were cleaning up and tallying the day's earnings, I was calmly sipping tea by the window, a usual ritual I adopted as a habit. It gave me an excuse to drop by and observe my comrades without their noticing. It gave me a reason to be *there*, when I could be relaxing in the quiet solitude of the temple, or enjoying a hot, lengthy soak in the tub. It gave me a chance to observe *her.* My tormentor, my angel. My Misao. And I, her Aoshi-sama. She looked radiant that night, proud and happy. The smile on her face was that of a man who has accomplished his life's task, a look of utter contentment and vivacity. Her eyes sparkled like a blue rose in bloom, glimmering with dewdrops in the sunrise. The pale light of the moon streaming through the window glinted off her bluish black hair. Her skin glistened with honest sweat. Fortunate was I to have carved that image of her into the hardened shell that was my mind. For during the days that followed, days of madness and agonizing insanity, it was that picture of her I clung to, holding on helplessly like a drowning man onto a rope. It was that golden portrait of her that kept me barely above the waves during the dark tempest of desperation I'd all too willingly embraced... For what else is there...? She seemed to have noticed me looking at her, so she turned my way and flashed me one one of those brilliant smiles, brighter and nearer than the glittering, distant stars. A soft, almost inaudible sigh escaped my lips. And not a minute later, the spell was broken. Okon's scream made me start. I sprang to my feet, kodachi at once in hand. The sounds of struggle was coming from the kitchen, and I leapt to action, following Omasu, Kuro and Shiro as they darted into the kitchen. Misao trailed behind me, and I quickly turned to her with a brisk, "Don't follow." I whirled around so as not to get a glimpse of her worried, disappointed face, and jumped into the fray. A look of disgust crossed my face as I saw that the Shirobeko had been broken into by a bunch of thieves. Surely nothing we couldn't handle. Already, Omasu had knocked two down, and Shiro and Kuro had cornered one man. Okon was fighting off three thieves, easily overpowering them. I turned to face the tall, curly-haired man who stood at the doorway with a grim look in his eyes -- their leader, by the looks of it. I eyed him calmly, but warily, measuring his capabilities with the slightest scrutiny. He was of medium build, and though he had a bevy of shuriken around his belt, it was nothing I couldn't take. He charged first, as I'd been expecting him to do so, the arrogant twit, and I expertly dodged at the last moment, lashing out with my kodachi. I caught his stomach with my right instep, pinning him practically in mid-air, forcing him to drop the knife he'd been holding in his left hand. What I hadn't anticipated was the gun he'd concealed in his right hand. A shot rang out in the air, and before I knew it, I had crashed against the wall, splinters of wood creating a cloud of bloody fragments before my eyes. The kodachi I had used to immobilize him had flown to the other side of the room, and its twin had slipped from my grasp, when I'd instinctively moved my hand to clasp the bullet wound on my right elbow. It was bleeding profusely, red rivers coming out in bright, urgent gushes. My vision was foggy with the pain; red and white spots danced before my eyes as I strugged unsuccessfully to get to my feet. He laughed, a loud, sardonic laugh that made me grind my teeth in anger. A trickle of blood coursed down the side of my face, but I was too enraged to care. *You bastard*, I thought, narrowing my eyes at him. He caught the glare I cast his way, and a cold gleam came into his murderous eyes. He held up the gun, and aimed it at my forehead, an icy, cruel smile curving up on his lips. I saw his finger pull the trigger, and my life flashing before my eyes... ... when I saw a quick flash of blue in front of me, and a pained cry of "Aoshi-sama!" penetrating my senses, numbing me... *Misao!* I must have thought it out loud, the word dying on my lips as I uttered it with horror and reverence. All at once, a slender, trembling frame slumped against me, damp with cold sweat. In shock, I stared, aghast, at the sweet angel's face, which gave me the ghost of a smile as her thin arms went around me. I could feel her ragged gasps for breath against my chest, her warm tears spilling onto my clothes, the flood of blood spurting from above her knee and soaking my thigh. Forgetting the pain in my arm, I pulled her close, holding her protectively, my mind slipping away from the gravity of the situation, the world around us. "M-Misao," I choked out, gently pressing my hand against her wound to stop the bleeding. She shook at my touch, but managed a faint, reassuring smile despite the pain that was plaguing her. "Aoshi...sama," she whispered, then buried her face into my chest, crying freely. "Aoshi-sama... I could never have let him --" "Why?" was all I could ask. "You'll never find out." I looked up to see the stocky figure of the thieves' leader looming over me, the barrel of the gun barely an inch from my forehead. His beady eyes had a glimmer of satisfaction in them. "Sayonara, you --" "Noooooooooo!" Misao screamed, her arms tightening around me in a viselike grip. I stared, too stunned to move, as the finger was about to pull the trigger and end this cruel life... ... when the sound of smashing wood and breaking glass pervaded, and a lethal wind of tonfa action wielded by a spirited old man crashed into my would-be killer, slamming him against the opposite wall. I heard the dull thud of bone against metal, and then the silence of unconsciousness, save for the panting of Okina, who had arrived in the nick of time. "Okina," I murmured. Okina turned to me, his eyes still blazing after knocking my assailant down. But the fire in his eyes was quickly replaced with concern when he saw the pale, bleeding figure in my arms. "MISAO-CHAN!" In an instant, he was at her side, feeling her pulse, holding her tight. I watched dully, silently, as he demanded an answer from her, staring wretchedly at the angry wound on her leg, cursing and moaning all at the same time. "Jiya," she whispered, her skin nearly translucent with pallor. She looked so weak and limp, so unlike the cheerful, enthusiastic young girl who brought me tea every morning. I felt a strange, hollow ache tug at me deep within. "Aoshi-sama." I turned to see Omasu and the other Oniwabanshuu staring at me, looking sad and tired. "Good God, you're wounded!" Omasu made a movement to place her hand over my elbow wound, but I quickly turned away. "It's fine," I heard myself say. "Get rid of those thieves and have the police take care of them. I'll close the Shirobeko up for you. And..." I prayed they wouldn't hear the quiver in my voice. "... Okina will take care of Misao." "Hai!" They nodded, and quickly proceeded to get the task done. As I went to arrange the fallen tables around the place, I sneaked a glance at Misao and Okina. She was still shaking and pale and bleeding, but Okina had put his coat over her, and he'd lifted her into his arms. He gave me a long look. "I'm going to take her to the doctor's clinic," he told me as he gingerly stepped out the door. "I told her not to follow," I said quietly behind his back. He didn't seem surprised; he just kept walking. "I know," he said simply. END ACT ONE 1/29/00 Modified: 1/30/00 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Talk to your friends online with Yahoo! 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