From: Miss_Led Ok! , Ok! It's an hour late, I know! But I stopped to reply to the nasty e-mail and take a breather! I'm finished now though, I'll be sad if I didn't make it into the challenge, I'm not asking anyone to break the rules though. But I did finish at last! And from what I can see it look pretty good. There are some typo's here and there, can't catch all of them. Anyways, enjoy!!!! Miss Thanks to Hiko-for proof reading the first little section. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ This fanfic is based on the story and characters created by Watsuki Nobuhiro. I’m just borrowing his characters for a spell, no copyright infringements were intended. I’m not getting paid for this Kiddies! This is my own private obsession! ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ True Gifts: 4 By Miss_Led Misao paused for a moment, in the kitchen of the Shirobeko, before a tub of water. She had worked very hard this evening and 9 o’clock was fast approaching. The day had been rather uneventful for the most part. The only thing that bothered her was Aoshi. She had seen him earlier as she was leaving for work. He had stopped her as she was about to leave, looking at her with probing eyes. He had questioned her uniform and asked why she had felt a need to get a job. She had stated that it was simply for some extra money and that it would not detract from her training. Misao had hoped to leave it at that. Aoshi, however, had continued his line of questions for several minutes. She was curious in the extremity about his newfound interest in her personal life. She almost thought that he had found out about her true reason for working at the cozy restaurant. She prayed that he hadn’t. He had finally let her go to work after she had carefully evaded every question he put to her. He had left her with a strange look in his eyes; it could almost be called hurt. ‘Aoshi-sama could never feel something that mundane though, he wouldn’t allow it. It would be a weakness and any emotion to him is a weakness. Why do I bother!?’ Misao sighed deeply and pushed her thoughts of Aoshi aside. She had bigger problems to worry about, like tonight’s meeting with Takahashi Ryu. ‘I don’t know how I’m going to handle him! The man is to smooth for words!’ Misao’s face pinched as she thought of his kiss the night before, she tried her best not to think of how nice his warm lips had felt against her flesh. ‘He was so forward! The man dares too much by treating me like that in public. I just hope that no one else saw him!!! And this meeting at the Ageya tonight, I’ve never actually been to a place like that before….I know all about what goes on there, well maybe not ALL about it, but at least enough to know that it’s not exactly proper to invite a lady. He said my reputation would be safe with him though.’ Misao took a deep breath and pushed her sleeves back so she could clean the dishes in the tub. It wasn’t one of her favorite tasks, but it was better then dwelling on thoughts of the unfathomable men in her life. She worked diligently, arms elbow high in the water. Her hair had fallen in a few stray wisps to lie gently upon her face. Saitou walked through the back door of the restaurant followed by another man in civilian clothes. He stopped for a second as he saw Misao. ‘The girl really is growing up. No wonder Shinomori was so out of sorts to know that he had been in her room the night before.’ He continued on his way in, Misao lifted her head from her work to see them enter. She was so surprised to find them in the kitchen, she promptly dropped the dish she was holding. It fell to the floor with a crash, shattering against the rough wooden floor. “Saitou, you would do me a great favor by not sneaking up on me anymore!!! It’s killing my nerves!” Misao blushed at being caught off guard; she quickly turned around to pick up the pieces of the broken dish. Saitou chuckled and sat down on a wooden counter across from her. His companion stopped next to him. “Misao-san, this is my assistant, Yûgisaka Kenji. He’s been assigned to follow Takahashi’s carriage tonight. As soon as we find out the location of his hideout, he’ll be leaving to come get reinforcements. He’ll be gone about an hour. I want you to make sure that you do not cause any trouble during this time. Like I said to you last night, we won’t be there to help you if you do. Make sure you take your weapons just in case, hide them well. Sae told me yesterday evening that Takahashi appears to be sweet on you,” Misao blushed vermilion, “If he asks you to be alone with him for any reason, I want you to decline. This is for your own safety, got me?” Misao nodded through her blush mortified that Sae had told him of the happenings last night. “Hai, Saitou-san. I’ll be very careful.” She walked to the refuse bucket in the corner and dropped the pieces of the dish into it. She then turned back to Saitou with a stern look on her face, “But you have to promise me that you will get your men there as soon as possible. I don’t know what this place is going to be like and I don’t really want to stick around and find out.” Saitou nodded thoughtfully, “Hai, I will have my men on standby at one of the local police stations. I’ll station runners too so we can communicate faster. Kenji-san, make sure that several of them are stationed around various parts of the yûkaku. That way we’ll have more then one person in case we lose the carriage while its in transit.” Kenji nodded and pulled out a pad of paper and a pencil to write down some details. Saitou tapped him on the arm motioning that it was time to go. “Misao-san, good luck. We’ll speak later tonight. I think you should write a note telling your friends at the Aoiya that you will be helping out here at the restaurant late tonight, don’t you?” With that he gave a mocking half bow and walked out the door whence he came with Kenji following close upon his heels. Misao paused only a moment before she went to find Sae. ‘He’s right, damn him. Jiya would kill me if I came home late without letting him know ahead of time. I’m really only afraid of Aoshi-sama though, I still can’t let go of the feeling that he knows something’s up.’ Misao went to Sae and asked for some paper and a pencil. She sat at and empty table to write her note. Minna-san, I’ll be a bit late in coming home tonight. I have a part time job at the Shirobeko so I can pick up some extra money for myself. Sae-san the proprietor of the Shirobeko has had a very busy night and has asked me to stay a bit late and help her clean up. I will be fine, but I won’t be coming home as early as expected. Misao She knew that to write the letter was to ask for trouble but there would be even more if she did not come home on time. She chose to go with the lesser of the two evils. She ran outside into the street and spotted a couple of boys playing in the light of the setting sun. She called to one of the boys, he ran over to her quickly. She gave him a yen coin and sent him off with directions to deliver the letter to the Aoiya. With that task done she went inside to wait. She looked up at the clock. 'Only two more hours. I don’t think I’m going to make it, my nerves are strung out the breaking point already. Please let this night go by quickly!’ As she said the prayer to herself, her heart said one also….. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Aoshi skimmed the chicken scratch he knew to be Misao’s for the second time in a row. His brow twisted into a deep frown. ‘She’s got other reasons for being home late and I know that cop is a part of them. She wrote this so that we wouldn’t come looking for her. What is she trying to hide? What is it that’s going on between her and that prick, Saitou?’ Aoshi crumpled the letter in his fist and shoved it into his pocket. He walked back into the Aoiya to speak briefly with Okon, telling her that he would be home with Misao later on that night. Having said this he turned and promptly left the grounds, heading into town. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Misao was pacing the length of the Shirobeko by the time 9 o’clock rolled around. Her hair was in disarray and her face notably strained. As the clock tolled the hour she was overcome by a feeling of intense anxiety. She ran to Sae and latched onto her hand. “Sae-san!!! I don’t wanna go!! Why did I let that baka cop talk me into this!!!!” Misao’s eyes clouded over with tears as Sae looked at her in shock. “Misao-chan! Now is not the time to be backing out, you should have thought of that from the beginning! Right now I think you had better go into the back and compose yourself before the carriage gets here.” Sae shook the girl’s hand off. Grabbing her by the shoulders she spun her round and gave her a push towards the kitchen. Misao obediently walked into the back. She dipped a clean cloth into a pail of fresh water, holding it to her cheeks in a vain attempt to cool the heat in them. She took a few deep breaths to get back into perspective. Out in the front room a man of medium height had just walked into the Shirobeko. He was carrying a box and a small bouquet of flowers. Sae met him inside the door. “Ah, hai. Misao-chan is in the back. She’s a bit nervous about tonight. I will not let her go unless I have your assurance that she will be safe.” Sae blocked the man’s way as he tried to peer around her into the back. She waited impatiently for his answer. “Hai, you have the word of Takahashi Ryu that she will be fine ma’am.” The man bowed to her. Sae’s face creased into a frown, ‘Yes, for whatever his word is worth. For a gangster, honor never means much unless self-preservation is involved. Kami-sama, keep her safe.’ Sae closed her eyes and prayed for a second before looking at the man in front of her again. “I’ll get her for you. Please wait here until we return. It will only be a moment.” Sae didn’t bother to wait for his reply. She, instead, turned to walk towards the kitchen. She could see Misao watching her with wide eyes, looking from the short man to herself nervously. When she got to the kitchen she closed the door behind her for a moment of privacy. “Misao, that man out there is Takahashi’s servant. He’s here to get you. Are you ready?” Misao nodded but it wasn’t all that convincing. “Do you have all of your kunai? Any other weapon you wanted to take?” Misao nodded again and held up a short knife. Sae huffed, annoyed at the girl’s lack of response. “I think you should know that I told Saitou that if anything happened to you I’d chop him up into little pieces and serve him for lunch with the soba noodles he loves so much.” At that statement Sae finally got a response as Misao’s face cracked into a smile, a stream of giggles followed soon after. “Sae-san! You didn’t!!! I would have given my kunai to see the look on his face!!” Sae smiled and pulled the girl close to give her a reassuring squeeze. “I did! He didn't look to happy to see the knife I was waving under his nose either. Don’t worry Misao-chan, you will be fine. There are a lot of people out there to look after you tonight. And I’m sure that should anything come up you will be able to handle it on your own. I have faith in you.” Sae let the girl go as she opened the door to the kitchen once again. Both women walked together to the front of the restaurant were Takahashi’s servant awaited them. When they reached the man he bowed formally to Misao. “Misao-sama, Takahashi-san has instructed me to present you with these gifts as a sigh of his affection. He will not take no for an answer. He requests that you come wearing it.” He placed the large box into her arms laying the flowers on top gently. Sae picked up the bouquet so that Misao could pry open the package. She finally got the cover open only to drop it down and stare at an expectant Sae. Misao held the box out to the older woman who raised the cover to peer inside. Sae gasped as she saw the contents of the box. “Oh my!!! How beautiful! This is a very expensive gift your employer sends to our Misao-chan!” The man nodded and moved forward to take the box, holding it open as Misao reached her fingers out to caress the embroidered silk kimono inside. It was the color of her eyes, a bright cheery blue. There were silver cherry blossoms embroidered about the hem, neck and sleeves. There was an dark-blue under dress with it of a light, shiny, sheer material for which Misao had no name. In the midst of this beautiful creation lie a thin necklace, it was fairly simple, being naught but a light, silver chain with a pendant hung upon it. The blue stone in the pendant glittered like the water catching the midday sun. It took Misao’s breath away. She picked it up to look at it more closely. “It is a Sapphire, the stone they call the blue fire. Takahashi-san said that you were like the Sapphire, that your spirit burned from within. Only fitting that he would give you the stone that reflects your inner-nature, my lady. Please hurry and change. We haven’t much time.” With that he closed the box once again, placing it back into her arms. Misao looked towards Sae, the older woman lead the way out of the room still holding the sweet smelling flowers. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Misao sat in the swaying carriage. It seemed like they had been on the road forever but it had, in fact, only been a few moments. She had freshened up and dressed quickly. Underneath the kimono, Sae had found a silver strip of cloth to use for her obi and a set of western style socks. They had been very long reaching up to her thighs, with them were two frilly, stretchy confections Sae told her were most likely used to keep the long socks held in place. To complete the outfit was a tiny pair of dark-blue slippers with silver flowers embroidered over the toes. Sae had helped her to rearrange her hair, coiling it into a crown to frame her face. She used one of her own sets of hairpins to hold them in place. “Silver to match the rest of it. Just remember to bring them back to me, ne?” Misao smiled brightly. Using the opportunity, Sae dabbed a bit of red makeup onto her lips. “There! Finished at last! You will cause their hearts to stop in their chests, Misao-chan. You are truly beautiful tonight!” Misao stood to peer into Sae’s looking glass; she was surprised to see how much different she looked, so mature. She reached out to touch her hair not sure if the reflection was real. She smiled again, turning to hug Sae. “Arigatou gozaimasu, Sae-san! I feel beautiful! Now I must go slay the dragon so to speak, tonight this beautiful kimono will be my armor!” Misao patted herself down to make sure that all of her kunai were in place. The stocking holders had made a convenient place to hide some of them. “Yosh! Off I go Sae-san! Wish me luck!” “Good luck, Misao-chan! And be careful!” With that Misao had rushed out of the room and out into the front of the restaurant. Takahashi’s servant had smiled approvingly at the young woman, escorting her into the awaiting carriage. It was only when they had begun to move that the nervousness came back to her. She was dealing with it now. ‘I can do this,’ She told herself. ‘All I have to do is find their hideout and Saitou said they would take care of the rest.’ Her thoughts strayed to Aoshi, ‘I wonder what Aoshi-sama is doing right now? He’s not worrying about me that’s for sure. Sometimes, I think he doesn’t even care if I’m around, all he ever does is ignore me now a days anyway. But I’m not going to forget his birthday! He’s been through hell this past year and he deserves to be happy! Didn’t I promise Himura-san that I would make him happy? If I can’t make him smile just yet the least I can do is make him comfortable.’ Her conviction returned to her as she thought of her promise to Kenshin. She would make Aoshi happy, no matter what it cost her. This little adventure was almost over, she could hold on for a few more hours. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Aoshi had been hiding in the shadows across the street from the Shirobeko when the carriage had arrived. He had taken note of it briefly. He saw nothing out of the ordinary. The driver had taken in a rather large box and some flowers. ‘Sae probably has some wedding party in there…’ He thought nothing more of it until he has seen the woman walk out into the bright light of the entryway. She was stunning. There was no other word he could find for her. The kimono was a perfect match for her……blue eyes? “Misao…” The sound of his own voice startled Aoshi, what had him even more off guard however was the sight of Misao in that kimono. ‘When, exactly, did she grow up?’ Aoshi asked himself. He didn’t have a chance to ponder that question. The carriage had started to move, Aoshi wasted no time in following it. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ The carriage lurched to a stop. The door was thrown open a few seconds later and a burley man stuck his head inside. A low whistle sounded as the man got a good look of the woman inside. Several of his companions, who had been milling around nearby, came close to the carriage hoping to get a better look. The driver shooed them away quickly; he then reached inside the carriage to help her descend to the ground. They had stopped in front of a large two-story building. The decorations were ornate, reticent to the party being held inside. Misao could hear the laughter and noise coming out from the main doorway of the structure. She paused, not wanting to go in. She steeled her nerves, raising her chin high into the air, and walked to the door. She was greeted by the strong smell of alcohol in the air, there was a haze of tobacco smoke hanging over the room. Several tables were situated about the room, most were being used for various types of gambling. The table closest to her was being used as a stage. A woman in an extremely short kimono was dancing gracefully on top of it to a tune being played on a koto by another scantily clad woman nearby. Misao tried not to appear too shocked. She was sure however that her cheeks were flaming. A second glance around the room revealed even more women attired the same way. Some were hanging around the necks of the men cheering them on as they bet, others were walking around with tray of food or jugs of sake. Misao turned to leave the room for the fresh air outside. Behind her was Takahashi Ryu. He had a warm smile on his face and he reached out to place his hands around Misao’s upper arms. Misao refused to meet his eyes. “Misao-san, you are truly breathtaking! I thought you were an angel from the first moment I say you but seeing you like this proves it to me!” He moved a hand to cup her chin, lifting it he forced her to meet his eyes. “Misao-san, what is wrong? Are you upset at me?” Takahashi’s voice took on a worried tone. Misao looked up at him her eyes wide and pleading. “Shimmatta! All of this was too much for you wasn’t it? You’re too innocent for all of these goings on.” He turned her then to look at the room again. He leaned down close his mouth next to her ear as he spoke, his hands resting lightly on her shoulders. “But look, Misao-san. Does anyone look unhappy? They don’t do they? The men come here for good company and relaxation. The women are here to provide this. You see, they would do this everyday for their husbands, but would have nothing to show for it. Here they are paid well to be companions to my clientele. I did not bring you here to make you uncomfortable Misao-san. Let me take you to somewhere away from all of this.” With that, he took her hand and led her through the throng of people in the room to a pair of double doors at the other side of the main room. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Kenji’s runners were on the move. They had just found the location of Takahashi’s Ageya and were moving their strike force in for the seizure. It appeared that Misao was safe for the moment, but in a place like that things could change at any time. He only hoped that she could keep them occupied for a little more time while they moved into position. Saitou had been adamant that no harm come to the girl. He even went so far as to threaten his men, saying that if even one hair on her head were harmed he would beat the hell out of the poor sap who had let the deed happen, then hand him over to her mishappen family, the Oniwabanshu. The men knew he had not been joking, they had all heard of the powerful Oniwabanshu and it’s former leader Shinomori Aoshi. None of them wanted to ever come in contact with him, be it on a good day or bad. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Aoshi sat comfortably on a roof across from the Ageya. He had seen Misao enter and it was all he could do not to go down there and drag her out by her hair. ‘Misao, what kind of stupid situation have you gotten yourself into this time? And it’s all that bastard, Saitou’s fault. I’ll have to kill him next time the sorry asshole crosses my path.’ Aoshi’s teeth ground against each other a he thought of what might happen to Misao inside of the building. He slipped down from his perch on the roof to sneak closer to the building. He went around to the back and easily made his way into the yard. He stopped to watch the three guards at the back door as they played dice. He walked up behind them and quickly dispatched them into unconsciousness with one of his sheathed kodachi. He then went to the door and eased it open hoping to get a better look inside, to his right was a bustling kitchen area, left was a dark hallway. He moved into the hallway quickly, conforming to the walls. He walked down the corridor, stopping here and there to look into various rooms along the way. He stopped in a doorway when he heard the soft peal of Misao’s laughter. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Misao allowed Takahashi to lead her out of the noisy room, grateful for the quiet to be found once the doors closed. She was surprised however to see a table set for two, laden with food and drink, before her. “Will you share a meal with me, Misao-san?” Takahashi smiled at her then and Misao’s heart skipped a beat. “Hai, Takakhashi-san. I would be honored!” Misao looked at him with a bit of wonder in his eyes. ‘He barely knows me, but look at the lavish things he has done to make me happy! This beautiful outfit and wonderful meal, all for me. He can’t be as bad as they say, he’s so gentle! But looks can be deceiving.’ Hanya, one of the former Oniwabanshu, came into her thoughts, ‘Hanya was a master of disguise. But he taught me that people don’t always need masks to hide themselves, I’d best keep myself on guard.’ “Please, Misao-san, call me Ryu. I want to be your friend.” He took her hand in his own and pressed a quick kiss into her palm before he lead her to a cushion next to the table. Misao was a bit shocked from the feel of his lips pressing into her palm. She didn’t fight him as he sat her down and seated him self diagonally from her. Then he started to talk, his conversation utterly charming her as they ate. Her laughter pealed thought the air in the room. They were cocooned in their own bubble of bliss for the moment. He filled a small saucer with sake and handed it to her she sipped from it as they talked and ate, she barely noticed as he filled the shallow cup time and time again. Fairly soon her cheeks took on a becoming flush. “Ryu-san, I’d best stop with the sake, *hiccup* I’m starting to feel a bit, *hiccup* funny…” Misao laid the glass down upon the table and looked up to see two of Ryu before her. They were smiling almost gleefully. ‘Now I’ve got her. She’s so gone on drink that she’s mine for the taking! The sake will make it very hard for her to say no.’ Ryu smiled and laughed in his mind. “Misao-san, I think that you have had a bit too much to drink, we had best make you lay down for a bit, hai?” Misao looked up at him with blerry vision and nodded. Ryu helped her up and into an adjoining room where a four poster, western style bed awaited. He lay her down upon it and leaned over to nuzzle her neck with his face. “Misao-san, my angel, you are so beautiful, let me take the both of us to heaven.” He leaned down to kiss her. His lips had almost reached hers when he felt a sharp object pressed to his neck. He stopped suddenly realizing he was no longer in control. “Iie, not tonight, Ryu-san. My lips are not meant for you.” Misao forced him back with her kunai. She sat up and watched the room spin for a second before she regained her equilibrium. Ryu was before her trying not to breathe, the kunai having already made a small knick in his neck when she had sat up. She smiled at him and moved off the bed. She spied a western style chair in the corner and pointed him towards it with her free hand, they moved backwards a pace at a time until Ryu was in the chair. Misao pulled off the sash of her obi then, tying the man up. As soon as she was done she walked haphazardly over to the bed, laughing softly. She promptly passed out in an ungraceful sprawl, her kimono just barely covering her. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Aoshi was just about to follow the sound of Misao’s laughter when all hell broke loose in the house. It appeared to be some sort of raid. There were people pushing past him trying to flee out the back entrance to the building, there was chaos everywhere. Aoshi struggled against the tide of people rushing past him in the narrow hallway. A familiar face came into view at that moment. “Saitou!!!!!!!!!” Aoshi screamed his name over the noise. Saitou looked up sharply. He swore and turned around to walk the other direction. Aoshi forced his way through the people and stopped near Saitou. The man turned around to look at him, in his arms was a limp Misao. Aoshi didn’t even stop to think. He grabbed Misao out of Saitou’s arms and ran his hands over her body to make sure she had not been hurt. He felt her kunai hidden under her clothes and her chest moved as she breathed. She was unconscious but that seemed to be it. He promptly stood and took a swing at Saitou. The other man braced himself for the blow, knowing he wouldn’t be able to avoid it. He took the impact full on his left cheek, his face turning with Aoshi’s fist, but he still stood. Aoshi ignored him after that going back to Misao. Saitou stretched his jaw and massaged his cheek with a hand, ‘That son of a bitch, and she did all of this for him. Wait until he realizes he’s been a fool for so long.’ Saitou smiled to himself, thinking that fate was funny. He didn’t envy Shinomori, by the looks of it by the time he figured out what he had, it might be too late. Saitou looked about at his men as they rounded up various politicians and mobsters. ‘The little weasel girl has done her job well. She deserves her reward.’ Saitou’s eyes narrowed as two of his officers dragged Takahashi out from the back room. Misao’s obi, which she had used to tie the man up, was hung over his shoulder. Saitou walked forward and plucked it from the man, moving back, he knelt down to lay it over Misao. Aoshi gave him a sinister warning look at the action, but Saitou really didn’t care. ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ Misao woke up in her bed at the Aoiya the next morning with a raging hangover. When, at last, the hurt subsided enough for her to open her eyes, she saw Aoshi sitting in front of her. His eyes were colder then normal, she knew instantly that he had found out about her job with Saitou. And he was furious with her. His face told her none of this, but she knew him well enough to know when he was angry. In his lap he held a package. It was wrapped in brown paper and very thin. Her eyes opened wide as she realized what it was, it looked like it had yet to be opened. She sat up but was overwhelmed by nausea. Aoshi forcefully pushed her back into a prone position. “Baka, what do you think you’re doing trying to get up!” His tone was harsh and she flinched at the sound. “Misao, promise me that you will come to me from now on in the future whenever you have a problem. Please.” This time the words were soft, a balm to smooth the hurt the first had caused. Aoshi’s eyes lost their icy sheen as Misao’s teared over. “I was worried about you, and when I fund you at the Ageya, unconscious in Saitou’s arms. I thought I’d lost you. I don’t want to have to go through that again. Do you understand me?” Misao smiled up at him, rejoicing in the fact that he CARED for her well being. She was happy with the knowledge, it warmed her inside and out. ‘Aoshi-sama was worried about me! Maybe this whole escapade wasn’t such a bad idea after all!!!’ Misao smiled to herself. “Oh, and one of Saitou’s men brought this by for you. He said it was yours” Aoshi held out the package to her. Misao took it from his hands to hold it tightly against her chest for a moment. Then, to his confusion, she handed it back to him. “Happy birthday, Aoshi-sama.” She smiled lightly them and yawned. Her eyes closed softly as she snuggled down into her covers. She was asleep within minutes, a smile on her face. Aoshi looked down upon her, an emotion that could be called tenderness in his eyes. ‘She got something for me? A gift…’ Aoshi grew warm as he remembered her words a few days ago while she had been sleeping. 'So, she wanted to get me something for my birthday. I didn’t think anyone had remembered. Leave it to Misao’ He reached out and drew the string binding the package. He then folded back the flaps of the brown paper wrapping to uncover his gift. He lifted the leather-bound book throwing the wrapping to the side carelessly. His eyes widened as he realized how expensive it must have been for her, not realizing what a trial she had gone through for it. He opened the cover and the text made a slight cracking sound as do all books when they are new. He looked at the white pages in wonder, he noticed a few that were brown at the edge but dismissed it as a flaw in the pages. The pages finally fell back to reveal the plaque at the front of the book. It was inscribed with one small phrase, “True gifts come from the heart.” The words were simple but their effect on Aoshi was poignant, for the first time in his life his felt choked up, his eyes stung at the corners. He took a deep breath, then another before he could quelch the intense surge of emotion that had just overtaken him. Next to him he heard Misao sigh. She hadn’t been quiet asleep yet, but as she heard his ragged breaths next to her she knew she had done the right thing. It had been worth the effort after all. One last thought whispered across her mind before she succumbed to sleep, ‘The things I do for Aoshi-sama…..’ ~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~<=>~ End Part 4 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ONElist: where the world talks! http://www.onelist.com Join a new list today.