From: "Siew Lee, Wong" No specific warnings for this chapter but I have done something really original here. I'm sure no-one has thought up this possibility before and it's going to play a huge part in Aoshi's adult life. Siew Lee yume@hotohori.uhome.net http://hotohori.uhome.net --------------------------------------------------------------------- Almost after an eternity, a week passed and it was filled with laughter and tears. The young boy endured through all the pain and torture, only to find himself nearer to his target of seeking justice for his parents and family. Day and night, he pushed himself to the limits, only to feel his young body bending from the stress. He didn't give up, for it had even strengthened his will to survive, to succeed. A small body lay on a straw mattress, the young boy sleeping peacefully but a small streak of tear gave away the actual truth of his dreams away. A man stood over him and sighed. He reached out a finger to dab the rivulet away and shook his head. Nightmares and bad dreams - all of them were evil elements which lurk in the innocent mind of the child. "Aoshi, get up! We are going out now," the man's voice whispered happily in Aoshi's ear. The sleepy boy gave a small yawn and ignored the call. Shifting his position, his head rolled to the other side of his folded arms, trying to get some more sleep. "I'm tired... My legs still ache from all that running after breakfast..." Aoshi mumbled softly and yawned sleepily, his vision still blurry. "Hey, don't ever disparage running as a good way to train! If you want to be as fast as the wind, you better not complain anymore. Anyway, Aoshi, it's already evening. If we want to get a good place in the kabuki theater, we need to go out now," the voice urged again. Aoshi rubbed his eye lazily with one hand and peeked up at the smiling face. *Kabuki theater?* That very word woke Aoshi up instantly. Sitting up straight, Aoshi looked up at Okina strangely. "What kabuki theater?" Okina gave a small sigh and shook his head. "Haven't I told you that we will be going out on the 1st and the 15th of every month? You can train every day without rest, but I can't. We both need some entertainment, right?" "Arigato gozaimasu, Okina," Aoshi grinned excitedly and stood up, his hair tousled. Walking over to the end of the small room, the young boy selected a white slip and a brown jacket from a small pile of clothes. Peeling off his simple yukata, Aoshi began putting on those clothes. "Hm, you have shown some improvement," Okina began after a series of rustling sounds filled the room. Aoshi turned around to look at the man, only to see him picking up pieces of papers from his low table. "I have always believe that intellectual abilities must go together with physical training to form a good Oniwabanshuu member. We don't want any stupid followers going around foiling plans." Aoshi smiled, his heart bursting with pride from Okina's praises. "Anou... Okina, please don't joke with me. My writing is still poor," Aoshi started and looked down humbly. The young boy smiled happily as Okina nodded approvingly at those neat rows of calligraphy carefully aligned on white sheets of paper. "Ao... shi..." Okina mumbled softly and nodded again at the writing. *Aoshi's a very intelligent boy...* "Okina?" a girlish voice sang out and Aoshi looked at up in surprise, his fingers still working on the folds of his clothes. A cute face peeped into the room and smiled brightly. "Okina? Are we going now?" The girl gazed at Aoshi and waved a dainty hand at him. "Ah, Aoshi, you are here too..." *Omasu?* the young boy noted and flashed her small smile. "Konnichiwa, Omasu! Long time no see!" he greeted politely, his mind urging his hands to hurry up. Turning around, he fastened the sash of his pants around his waist securely. "Hah, Hyobe's little princess is here already. Aoshi, hurry up! By the way, Omasu is going with us to the kabuki theater before going to the teahouse," Okina explained. Aoshi nodded and walked up to stand behind Okina. "Omasu going with us?" "Yes... Besides, I don't think I can stand a certain female's constant droning about how boring the Aoiya is," Okina retorted and shot a sharp glance at the little girl. Omasu giggled softly and trotted over to Aoshi's side, the sleeves of her small kimono swinging as she walked. "Aoshi, you don't mind, do you?" Holding the boy's arm, Omasu wrapped her hands around Aoshi's limb and started towards the door. "Okina..." Aoshi began helplessly but his pleas were already drowned out by Okina's amused laughter. "Let's go." --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Quick! Quick! It's already starting!" Omasu screamed excitedly and began running towards the entrance of the wooden building. Loud traditional music was already blaring and Aoshi smiled softly. It had been such a long time since he had last watched a kabuki performance. "Omasu! Come back here! We don't have any tickets yet!" Okina shouted. Omasu stopped in her tracks and grinned. "Gomen nasai..." With light steps, she skipped over to Okina's side. "Okina, do get the tickets now!" "Both of you wait here while I go find the ticket man," Okina said and gave Aoshi a friendly pat on his head. Donning a basket-like deep hat, Okina flashed Aoshi and Omasu a assuring smile and walked towards the crowd. "Aoshi, have you ever watched a kabuki play?" Omasu asked and smiled smugly. "I have. What about you?" "Yes, lots of times too," Aoshi answered simply and smiled. Omasu nodded in acknowledgment and began looking around with her bright eyes. The duo stood there in silence and he folded his arms, his ears listening to the loud chatter of the crowd. He sighed softly. When he was living in the Matsudaira household, they never had the need to go out for an evening of entertainment. Perhaps it was because of the fact that his father was rich enough to invite the entire troupe of singers to perform within the comfort of his mansion. Such irony. Haha-ue loved kabuki plays too. Haha-ue always told him stories of her younger times when she cross-dressed simply to enter a kabuki theater; and that was the only thing haha-ue told him about her past. Aoshi sighed dejectedly. He hadn't thought of his mother for a long, long time. She was there all along, in his spirit, but he didn't even take note to dedicate some time to her in private. Slowly, Aoshi reached up to touch his own face lightly, drawing his finger across his cheek in one fluid movement. Chichi-ue had always said that he looked like haha-ue a lot. Those sharp features, the slender body frame... The most, his eyes. The boy reached into fold of his robe and removed a small copper coin. Attached to a piece of red string, Aoshi played with the coin and studied it. *One zeni...* Aoshi mumbled subconsciously and turned the coin around. *Haha-ue...* It was his mother's most prized possession, and also her last gift to him. The zeni was the smallest currency value and it was nearly impossible to buy anything with it; yet it was more valuable than its weight in gold to his mother. Although she never let him see her looking at it, Aoshi knew that she would spend hours staring at it. For long hours through the dim candlelight, his eyes peered at her hunched form behind the safe folds of his blanket. She would never know that he had spent time watching her. *What is so special about this coin?* Aoshi wondered silently. Haha-ue had even shed tears while looking at it. Aoshi flipped it around and fingered the small indent by the side of the coin. Tentatively, he placed a digit on the mark. The indentation was slightly bigger than the tip of his index finger and Aoshi looked at it intently, his eyes showing curiosity. It was as if someone had pressed the zeni so hard that the metal actually sank at one point. Who could have possessed such great strength? It was almost... inhuman. Aoshi swallowed painfully. He was certain that he would never know the answer. Haha-ue was already dead and no-one would know the story behind this single zeni... "Aoshi, are you feeling fine?" a girlish voice asked and a small hand shook his arm. Aoshi shut out his thoughts and turned his head to look at Omasu. The young girl looked back at him with worry written in her eyes. "Ah, yes," Aoshi answered and smiled. Omasu slowly released his arms and pointed in the direction of the theater. "Eh? What is it?" Aoshi asked, his focus following Omasu's finger. Quickly, he stuffed the zeni back into the bosom of his kimono. "Aoshi, I think you are blind. Look! Okina's waving at us!" Omasu exclaimed and took hold of Aoshi's arm again. "Let's go! The performance has already started!" "Aa..." Aoshi started but before he could even finish his sentence, he was already being led by his arm by the active girl. Threading nimbly through the milling crowds, both Aoshi and Okina walked towards the waving man. The entire place was very packed and the duo had difficulty making their way across the street. Turning sideways, Aoshi tried to squeeze his way out between two adults. "Ahhhh!!!" Aoshi exclaimed and stumbled backwards finally landing onto the bosom of a woman. Getting up quickly, Aoshi mumbled a word of apology and blushed as Omasu giggled merrily. Suddenly, Aoshi felt his arm knocking into a fairly hard object. "Watch it! My basket of eggs!" A loud and shrill voice shouted in Aoshi's ear, making the boy cringe. He shot a terrified look in the direction of that yell and a middle-aged woman was glaring at him angrily. "Look! You crushed my eggs!" "Gomen nasai..." "Aoshi, why are you looking so dazed?" another voice asked gently and Aoshi turned his head to look straight up at Okina's half-concealed face. "That woman..." Okina's eyebrows met in a soft frown and the man stood up, his sharp eyes looking at the woman. The peasant glared back at and studied him from head to toe. Her eyes drifted along his waist until they came to a halt on the double swords which Okina wore in his girdle. "Katana... Sa... Samurai? Gomen nasai!" the woman shuddered and gave Okina a low bow. Okina gave a small nod and his eyes watched in silent laughter as woman began apologizing. Stepping backwards carefully, the woman bowed again before hurrying off in another direction. "Aoshi, if you are going to become one of us, you had better train yourself to be less clumsy next time," Okina said and took Omasu's arm with one hand, his free hand clutching Aoshi's skinny hand. "After watching the play, I'll take the two of you to the Yoshiwara district since Aoshi wants to see some women." "Aoshi wants to see some women?" Omasu shrieked in surprise and the young girl let out peals of amused laughter. "Shush, Omasu. Don't tell your chichi-ue, deal?" Okina laughed softly and folded his arms. "Don't tell Okon too, she can't keep secrets properly." "Eh, how I wish Okon was here also..." Omasu pouted and folded her arms over her chest. "Who's Okon?" Aoshi asked simply and looked at the girl. "Okon? She is my distant cousin! Aoshi, trust me, she's a fun person and she's one year my junior," Omasu explained happily and wrapped her fingers around the boy's arm. "I'll introduce her to you when we have the chance." "Aoshi, you too. Don't go around telling everyone we are going to the Yoshiwara district when we get back to Aoiya," Okina lectured sternly but a slight curve by the side of his lips gave him away. "Besides, it's you who wanted to see female entertainers in the first place." "Ano... Okina..." Aoshi began but his voice was already lost among the loud chatter of the crowd milling around them. Left with no choice at all, Aoshi finally followed Okina into the theater. --------------------------------------------------------------------- "Woo... The ending was so sad..." A girlish voice began loudly and the sound of a man clearing his throat was heard outside the near-empty theater. "Aoshi, do you know why that woman had to commit suicide at the end? I don't really understand but the man there looked so upset." "No... I don't..." Aoshi blinked a few times and wiped the sleeves of his kimono across his eyes, dabbing at them. The young boy looked quickly in Okina's direction and the older man's eyes made silent contact with his gaze. Aoshi blinked again; this time, he noticed that Okina's eyes were watery too. "Okina, are we true men?" Aoshi asked softly and flashed the man a small smile, intending to make Okina eat his words. "True men also have feelings. We are made of flesh and blood after all," Okina answered simply and strode forward in the direction of the exit. "Hm, it's not very dark now. Alright, let's go to Yoshiwara for some entertainment, ne? Aoshi, you wanted to see some *real* women, right?" "Aa..." Aoshi mumbled and shot Omasu an exasperated look. The young girl giggled softly and took his hand. Aoshi looked at Okina again but the older man simply shrugged and walked forward. "Aoshi, don't worry... I think it will be fun!" Omasu whispered into her friend's ear and laughed again when Aoshi heaved a small sigh. "Okina's already like that... He even tried dragging chichi-ue to some popular tayuu a few years back, according to haha-ue." "Eh? Really?" Aoshi asked, raising his left brow curiously. "Okina really likes women?" "Oh yes, he does," Omasu answered shortly and ran forward, pulling Aoshi's arm as she went. "I might even go so far as to say that Okina's very twisted in a sense," she whispered into the boy's ear mysteriously and giggled again. "Really?" "Eh, you are doubting my words? Never mind, you will see later." --------------------------------------------------------------------- The Yoshiwara was the most famous of all red light districts at that time. Rows and rows of uneven shop-houses lined each streets, along with stalls selling various types of local delicacies and little gold trinkets. Through his pair of young eyes, he looked happily at the rows of paper lanterns strung across the street. A soft, cool breeze blew around him as he eyed his surroundings with full enthusiasm. Couples were walking and milling around slowly as soft laughter and bashful giggling filled the air. "Aoshi, it's still early for the teahouses to open fully... Do you want something to eat first?" asked a manly voice above his head. Aoshi gazed at Okina thoughtfully and smiled. "No, no thanks," Aoshi answered at last with a slight shake of his head. Omasu still held his hand as the trio slowly made their way down the street. There were hardly any clouds in the dimmed sky and the sun was starting to set already. "Omasu, have you ever seen a beautiful sunset before? I mean, those you can really remember for life," Okina asked cheerfully, intending to bring up some conversation among them. Omasu shook her head and pouted. "Chichi-ue is always too busy to bring me any where... I'm always sitting around Aoiya." "What about your haha-ue?" Aoshi asked suddenly, his eyebrows knitted in a puzzled frown. Omasu stopped walked and held her breath. "Haha-ue... She's dead for a few years already..." she blurted out and sighed. "I'm sorry..." Aoshi mumbled softly and looked down. "My haha- ue's dead too... You still have your chichi-ue right? I lost my entire family overnight..." After saying those words, Aoshi clenched his jaw and balled up his fists. *Why wasn't I born earlier? I could have done something to stop this...* Slowly, a tear ran down the bridge of his nose and dropped onto the ground below. "Aoshi, there's no need for you to apologize..." Omasu began and lifted Aoshi's chin with her fingers. "I guess that's why we are like old friends now. We do have something in common." Aoshi looked straight into her watery eyes and sighed. "Yes, that is what I am thinking too..." Using the sleeve of his kimono, he dabbed the wet streak away and forced a smile on his face. "Thank you, Aoshi," Omasu whispered. "Hoi! Are you two finished with all those angst stories? I think I'm going to cry if both of you don't stop soon!" Okina's voice boomed above them, the man himself trying to cheer the duo up. "I know Aoshi's hungry. Just look at his face!" Aoshi forced a grin and folded his arms, his stomach clenching in raw hunger. "Don't worry about me, Okina. I'm not hungry," Aoshi continued, trying his best to be polite. "Hn, what do you mean by 'don't worry about me'? You are still growing and you need lots of food. Omasu, you too, young lady," Okina grumbled and reached into the folds of his inner kimono to retrieve his money pouch. Rolling his eyes, he walked towards a stall selling steamed dumplings and dropped a few coins into the makeshift counter. "Three, please," Okina requested and looked at the old seller. White tendrils of steam rose from the boiling clay pot as the old man fished out three pieces of the dumplings and wrapped them up in a piece of paper each. Presenting them with both of his hands, the man handed the food to Okina with a gracious smile. With a short wave of his hand, Okina gestured Aoshi and Omasu to go to the opposite side of the street. Pointing to a low stone curb outside a wooden building, Okina sat down and urged the children to sit with him. "Omasu, here's yours and Aoshi, this is your share," Okina gave them one of the small packages each. "Eat while it's still warm!" "Arigato gozaimasu!" Aoshi and Omasu chorused together and began unwrapping the food. "Still tastes the same..." Okina commented after taking the first bite. "Still as delicious as it was six years ago..." "Six years?" the two children chorused together, Omasu's eyes twinkling. Aoshi snickered softly as he bit into his dumpling. "Yes, it has already been six years since I last stepped into this part of Japan... Hasn't changed much, only the streets have become cleaner. It was sometime during the lunar new year when I came," sighed Okina wistfully and smiled. "There are lots of memories of my younger times here." "Okina, forgive me, but do you frequently visit the teahouses here?" Aoshi asked, his bright eyes fixing their sharp gaze on Okina's face. "Well... Yes..." Okina confessed slowly and a larger smile broke across his face. "When I was young, I was rash, passion-filled, handsome, dashing, brave... I was a man that every young woman would desire..." "Okina!!!" the two young children shouted together in exasperation. "Alright, alright, I won't talk about myself anyway. If there's a portrait of me in my heydays, the two of you will believe my words," Okina grumbled and rolled his eyes. "Omasu, you can ask your chichi-ue if you want." "Anyway, Okina... Why did you stop coming here since six years ago?" Aoshi asked again with his mouth full as he ate the dumpling. "Well, there are quite a number of reasons... First, it was because I'm already old..." Okina answered with a soft sigh and stroked his short goatee. "I'm no longer the young man I want to be..." "But you are not that old yet!!! Besides, your wife is long dea..." Omasu interrupted but stopped herself as Okina stopped smiling. The older man stopped eating and swallowed painfully. "I'm sorry..." Omasu whispered and looked down. "I don't mean it." Okina forced a smile and resumed chewing on his dumpling. "Never mind... What has passed is past. Eh, why am I talking about all those angst stories tonight? Let me tell the two of you about the last girl I met here, in Yoshiwara." "Yes! Please, please do tell us!" Aoshi and Omasu cheered and clapped their hands. "Well, she was the most unforgettable woman I ever had..." Okina began and sighed dreamily. "I think she was a tayuu, from her way of speech and dressing... I still remember the way she dressed that night... Okashira and I were here, together with some of the other senior members of the Onmitsu Oniwabanshuu as we were bent on celebrating the success of one of our missions. I was never a heavy drinker as I tend to believe that we should always be alert all the time, even during sleep." Okina paused for a moment to see whether Aoshi and Omasu were listening to him. Convinced that he had their attention, Okina continued with his rendition. "So I went to sit outside the restaurant, hoping to get a breather and some fresh air. Just then, I saw a beautiful woman standing directly opposite me, her hand was holding a delicate fan. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever seen in my life. I half-wondered if she was an angel from heaven, but I pushed that thought away because why would an angel choose a place like this to descend?" Aoshi nodded and threw the brownish paper wrapper away. "What happened next?" Okina frowned and folded his arms. "Eh, don't interrupt me, Aoshi. Anyway, as usual, I smiled and waved at her and expected a reply. The woman didn't smile back, instead she began walking towards me. I still remember how she walked and how she dressed. She was a fairy... How can a human look so mystical and mysterious like her? When she came up to me, she asked me whether I wanted her for the night, and guess what? She said she wouldn't charge me at all and she pleaded with me to go with her." "Did you take her for the night?" Omasu asked excitedly and began tugging at the hem of Okina's short haori. "Eh, of course I did. No man under the sun could withstand such a charm from her," Okina smiled dreamily again and crossed his legs. "She was a pure woman, the best I ever had in my life. She was gentle, caring, but I never saw her smile which added to the overall magical effect she had on me. Her image is still etched in my memory until this very day. When I tried to find her after that, I only received the news that she was taken as a concubine by some powerful daimyo... For all I know, she might be living happily in a big mansion with dozens of handmaids to serve her now." "By the way, why didn't she take any payment? I thought tayuu charge customers for a living?" Omasu questioned Okina and scratched her head. "I don't know, but I gave her a zeni as a token of appreciation..." "ONE zeni? What for? Did she take it?" "Eh, that one zeni is one special zeni. Originally, there was a pair of such coins and they were given to me by a close friend who worked in an antique shop. They were minted more than 200 years ago in Osaka, long before the Tokugawa shogun came in power. Since she was one special woman, I decided to press a dent into one side corner of the coin and I gave it to her, dangling on a piece of red string," explained Okina and dug around in the bosom of his kimono. "I think I have the other one here somewhere... They are identical." "Here!" Okina declared proudly and produced a single bronze coin. --------------------------------------------------------------------- Glossary: tayuu : high class prostitute hai : yes geisha : lady entertainer yamete: a polite form of 'stop' Author's notes: - Warriors and farmers were not supposed to go to kabuki plays back in the pre-meiji era because of some reason (I'm not really sure of the reason, though). Even then, individual samurai did follow those kabuki performances and to avoid from being recognized, they donned deep, basket-like hats. Okina was a samurai, from my definition of the Onmitsu Oniwabanshuu as a warrior clan instead of a ninja group. - The Yoshiwara was well known as a red light district back in the Pre-Meiji - Meiji period. Some teahouses are usually 'disguises' for a brothel too... Author's laments: Please, please, please don't flame me for the ending... I have been planning this for quite some time already and don't scream at me for making such a possibility. I know it's a major cliffhanger but I just can't resist writing something so twisted and crazy. Anyway, those shota-con parts some of us are waiting for will be in chapter 7, me thinks... =) Anyway, to all of my friends on this ML (esp. Kathy, Jan, Hiko...) : Alright, Jan-san has finally hit some sense into my brain. This is *my* fic and no-one can ever tell me that this fic ought to be deleted because they can't accept new possibilities. I don't care how other people view this fic but I'm continuing it. It's my sweat, my tears, my blood and my time. Most important of all, my self-respect and pride is involved here. I have already warned, and if young and ignorant readers continue reading the fic, it isn't my fault that you are shocked into other world. Next, I will never fight in karate-do tournaments ever again because I want to live to finish this fic. Luckily Friday's injuries are only superficial. If that punch was 1 1/2 inches higher, I might have already died from a ruptured spleen. T.T (Now I know why Kenshin isn't supposed to use his Hiten Mitsurugi moves after the Jinchuu arc... ^^X ) Copyright reserved 2000 W. Siew Lee All standard Rurouni Kenshin disclaimers apply to this fanfic. E-mail: Siew Lee [yume@hotohori.uhome.net] URL: http://hotohori.uhome.net UIN: #14025577 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Get what you deserve with NextCard Visa! Rates as low as 2.9% Intro or 9.9% Fixed APR, online balance transfers, Rewards Points, no hidden fees, and much more! Get NextCard today and get the credit youdeserve! Apply now! Get your NextCard Visa at: http://click.egroups.com/1/912/4/_/455156/_/951620955/ ------------------------------------------------------------------------