Under The Circumstances

An r.k. Fanfic

 

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

 

"Letting Go"

 

"Love seeketh not itself to please,

Nor for itself hath any care,

But to another, lends it's ease,

And builds a heaven in hell's despair."

 

*****************************

 

The old woman was surprised to say the least that the young couple were not only awake by the time she came to call them to breakfast, but the young man was actually helping his pretty young mate to fold up the futon and tidy the room before they left. The sight of the two of them helping one another without apparently being asked to do so did much to warm her heart. Of all expressions of true love, the most telling was the willingness of one to serve the other, age had taught her that. And if the serene smiles of adoration on their faces were any further indication of this, then these two were truly meant for one another.

 

After a lively meal with a few of the other tenants, Misao and Sou paid the woman her wage and hand in hand, began to walk toward what they both perceived to be a new chance at life. Halfway down the steps, the proprietress stopped them and thrust a neatly wrapped package into the girl's hands.

 

"No need for the two of you to be hungry on your trip," she said with a warm, wrinkled smile, "Think of it as a small wedding gift."

 

Identical sprinklings of pink appeared on both Sou and Misao's surprised faces. Despite this, they both smiled at the kind old woman and bowed toward her in thanks.

 

"Arigatou," Sou said, "That was very thoughtful of you"

 

"It's nothing," she replied with another smile, "Good luck to you both"

 

With that she turned back to her inn and the lovers to the path, hearts suddenly warmer and lighter than they were just the day before. As Sou took Misao's burden from her hands, he asked the one question that he had been toying with in his mind for over a day.

 

"Misao?" he asked, "Where would you like to live?"

 

In her heart Misao had known their intent from the moment they had run from the dojo, but to have Sou give it a voice was a different thing entirely.

 

"Well," she said even as her blush deepened, "I've always loved the ocean"

 

Sou looked down at her with a smile, "I have a soft spot for the sea myself," he admitted, "There was one place I passed several months ago that you might like. A quiet little town, developed enough to be comfortable, and rustic enough to be appealing. A man gave me a job in a restaurant there and I made quite a few friends as well."

 

"If you were to go back there with me," he said as he held her eyes with his own, "It would be like living in heaven"

 

Misao's eyes lit up like twin stars, with one of her brightest smile's to date she tightened her grip on her beloved's hand.

 

"Lead the way," she said.

 

Sou's smile was a match for her own as he quickened the pace and rambled on just about as fast as he could run, "If we take the train to Okoyama and then travel on foot from there we should be there by the end of the week. You're going to love it there, the sea is so blue you can barely tell where the horizon is, and everyone is so friendly. I'm sure that.....Mi-chan? What's wrong?"

 

Misao had stopped walking altogether somewhere in the middle of Soujiro's excited chatter and now she stood looking at some point across the road with an expression of utter dread in her eyes, Slowly, anxiously, he turned his eyes in the direction in which she was staring so intently.

 

The pessimistic, doubtful part of his mind that he'd so far been able to suppress with happier notions of a new life with the woman he loved came to the forefront as all his hopes dashed away as if they had never been at all.

 

For there, across the road stood the one person who had the right to object to their impending union. Shinomori Aoshi looked at the pair of teenagers with an unconcealed look of contempt in his cold, blue eyes. He looked slightly haggard and a pair of faint circles under his eyes testified to a lack of sleep. Still, fatigue could do nothing to stop him as he stood in the path, refusing even to lean against anything for support.

 

His voice seemed just as strained as the rest of him and left little room for argument as he held a hand out toward the ninja girl.

 

"Come to me Misao, it's over."

 

Misao on the other hand refused to sympathize with his bedraggled state and instead moved closer to Soujiro with a flash of defiance in her eyes. "Iya!" she snarled, "I'm not a lap-dog to jump to your bidding whenever you wish!"

 

Whatever thin thread that had been holding Aoshi's temper in check simply snapped as he moved toward the pair and made a grab for the girl's arm.

 

"Misao I am tired and my patience is wearing thin so just shut the fuck up and come with me."

 

Eyes narrowing at Aoshi's rough words Sou stepped in front of Misao and caught the offending hand by the wrist. "There is no need for this Shinomori-san," he said quietly, "We will both go back to the dojo with you."

 

Misao's eyes widened considerably, "Nani?!!" she squealed, "Sou, you can't be serious, he's trying to separate us! Don't you see that?"

 

"Aa," the young man answered gently, "I know that."

 

"Then why..?!!!"

 

Sou released Aoshi with a sigh. "Misao," he said as he turned to face her. As much as he hated to admit it, a greater part of himself had known from the start that they would not succeed. True, they could escape the okashira just as they had before, but how long would it be before he tracked them down again, and again, and again? It made no sense and he knew it. They had to answer to the others, without that there would be no peace for them, ever.

 

"We have to face up to our mistakes," he said with a sad smile as he traced her jaw with his finger, "The others...the others deserve closure as much as we do."

 

Misao swallowed forcefully in an effort to soothe the sudden burning in her throat. "Sou..." she whispered as she buried her face in the front of his gi. In her heart she knew he was right, "Alright," she finally answered, her  words somewhat muffled by the warm fabric pressed up against her face, "...alright"

 

There was no escaping the truth of what they did, but at least they could face up to the fact as a team.

 

Arms still firmly wrapped around the one that he loved, Sou's hardened eyes turned back toward Aoshi.

 

"We're ready." he said.

 

*****************************************

 

Though full of people, the Kamiya dojo was uncharacteristically quiet. Megumi and Kaoru sat next to one another without so much as a breath of complaint from either one, flanking them were Sano and Kenshin respectively, both wearing tell-tale masks of concentration on their faces.

 

Behind them sat two boys. One was thinner and taller than the other, his dark hair cropped close to his scalp whereas the other's grew wild and free, adorning his head with a healthy crown of spikes. Both wore expressions way beyond their combined ages as they the stared straight ahead. One's eyes were torn between question and accusation, while the other's seemed to turn inward, hiding his true thoughts from any intruding view.

 

Near the door, a column of smoke rose into the air to spread itself in its lazy, sultry way over the surface of the ceiling. Under the undulating mass, a man stood in the standard issue police uniform of the time, a lone cigarette poised elegantly in his gloved fingers as his narrow amber eyes stared in the same direction as the boys, the only difference being that his eyes held a look of sadistic amusement in their golden depths.

 

At the very front of this band of observers stood a man. Every muscle in his beautiful body strung tight as a bow's string under the thin material of his western shirt and trousers. His icy eyes burned with an unpleasant mix of emotions from behind the smooth fall of his hair as he stared unblinkingly at the lonely pair sitting on the floor before him.

 

The feminine portion of that pair cast her eyes downward, unable to face the blue flame that seemed to burn right through to her very soul. In a wordless expression of comfort, her partner moved his hand to cover her own. A silent promise of protection and a steady reminder of something much, much more.

 

"I believe that there is something you would like to say, Shinomori-san." he said quietly.

 

Incensed at the sight of that murderer's hand on his precious Misao's, Aoshi answered him in a tone that was anything but polite. "You, Tenken, are in no position to initiate conversation under these circumstances. You dare to kidnap our Misao, to take her away from us and now you sit there as if you had every right to do so? I don't know what was said to have her under your spell like this Seta, but I assure you that it stops here and now."

 

"I assure you Shinomori-san that there is no "spell" involved," Sou said with more than a touch of annoyance, "None except the one that you keep repeating to yourself that this is all a lie."

 

Aoshi's eyes narrowed further, "Teme," he spat, "Why you're nothing but a..."

 

"Stop it!"

 

Both men fell silent and stared at the girl who then gathered enough calm to raise her eyes to meet her accuser's.

 

"I'm not a child," Misao declared, "I haven't been a child since the day I was left in Okina's care. I'm as human as anyone else here today, and being so, I am very capable of making mistakes....and that is exactly what this is Aoshi-sama. My "mistake". If you cannot accept that, then all this makes no sense at all."

 

The girl's words were enough to temporarily shock the blue-eyed man, "Misao..." he breathed in disbelief.

 

In answer, Misao strengthened her grip on Soujiro's hand. "Things were not easy for any of us back then, heaven knows it wasn't. You, Himura, Kaoru-chan, Yahiko, Sano, Soujiro....we all suffered horribly at the hands of fate. But somehow in the midst of all that chaos we all managed to hold on to whatever humanity we had. It was because of this Sou and I found one another. In a world where hope slipped away faster than sand in an hourglass, the attraction between us both proved that though weak at times, Hope was still very much alive. And with that knowledge came enough comfort to see us through whatever battles we were destined to face at the time."

 

Unable to control himself, the taller of the two boys jumped to his feet.

 

"Aneki, you can't be serious about what you are saying?! I, I refuse to believe that you would be so...cheap as to lower yourself to the level of one of Shishio's underdogs!"

 

Misao turned weary, tortured eyes toward the young man. "Eiji-kun, I apologize that what you hear causes you so much pain, but I won't deny Sou. Not now. Not ever. If falling in love with him means that I fell from grace in your eyes, then so be it. There is no way I can control the image of myself in your heart."

 

The boy's eyes widened in shock and his jaw grew slack. "Iya...." he whispered to himself, "I..I won't believe it. How could you? When you promised that you would do all that you could to help Himura-san defeat that monster? You went back on your word like, like, some street harlot!"

 

The smaller of the two was quick to challenge that statement with the threat of his closed fists, "Say that again!" he demanded.

 

Unmoved, the elder pointed to the young woman without looking at her. "You heard what she said! Who else but a whore would turn her back on principle like that?!"

 

Kaoru stretched her hand towards Yahiko to stop him from hitting Eiji, "Yahiko," she pleaded,  "Osuwari nasai."

 

The accused young woman opened her mouth to say something, but was stopped by a slight pressure on her hand.

 

"Eiji-kun," Soujiro said as gently as he could, "No-one can blame you for the way that you feel, Even so, I want you to remember that Misao was the one who protected you, who understood when you said you wanted to see your brother's murderer dealt with. I know, I was there. Misao put herself between you and the rest of us until the fight was over, she used her own body as a shield against us in case anything went wrong. You were a stranger to her, but more importantly to Misao, you were a human being who had been through enough at his age."

 

The thin boy looked upon the ex-assassin with contempt. "I remember Seta-san," he replied just as gently, "I remember my parents' bodies hanging the town square and  I remember the crude grave that my brother will spend eternity in. Aren't those things worth remembering as well?" Without another word, he turned on his heel and left.

 

Soujiro's look of sadness echoed that of his beloved, "He is right," he said quietly, "We were selfish, weren't we koi?"

 

"Yes anata, we were." she agreed with a gentle nod..

 

Aoshi was quick to agree, "At least now you two are beginning to see that." He said.

 

Misao shook her head with a sad smile, "Beginning? No Aoshi-sama, we've known the seriousness of all this from the very beginning."

 

Kenshin finally spoke up, "Then why?" he asked, "If you knew the gravity of what you were doing all along, then why did you bother doing it at all?"

 

"Please tell us," Kaoru added gently, "We want to understand."

 

"Understand?" Sou scoffed, "How can I begin to help you when I can barely understand all this myself?"

 

Kenshin gave him a questioning look, "What do you mean?" he asked.

 

Misao looked from left to right as if searching for something, "It just....happened."

 

Aoshi was unmoved, "Things like this do not just "happen"." he insisted.

 

Soujiro regarded him with an enigmatic smile,  "You are right Shinomori-san," he surprisingly agreed, "I began searching for Misao long before I had even seen her face."

 

"What do you mean?"

 

Soujiro turned to Kenshin, "Do you remember what you told me that day in the fortress, about Shishio's belief?"

 

"Yes?"

 

"Well," Soujiro continued, "There was nothing new in your speech Himura. I knew Shishio's line of bullshit was just that for quite a while. Or at least…a part of me did."

 

He paused for a moment while fixing a bone-chilling stare on the elder man, "Hmura....have you ever wondered why you're even alive?"

 

Kenshin shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "I don't understand what you mean, Soujiro."

 

The assassin's smile returned to him with the willingness of lover, "Back at Shingetsu, where all first met....formally that is. I had a whole sword, you had practically none. I could have cut you to pieces, one for each member of your family as a keepsake from Shishio himself."

 

 Kaoru gasped loudly enough for everyone to hear as her hands flew to cover her face.

 

Dropping the devil's smile, Soujiro turned to her apologetically, "Forgive me for upsetting you Kaoru-san, I only intend to tell the truth."

 

Aoshi looked down at them from his standing position, "And just what is the truth, Tenken?"

 

"The "truth" Shinomori, is that you both could have been dead men if it weren't for Misao," he flatly replied, "When she realized that I was going for the kill she gasped in much the same way Kaoru-san just did, the sound distracted me enough to look into her eyes."

 

At that he narrowed his own eyes in Kenshin's direction, "She was terrified for you Himura, the thought was written on her face as clearly  as kanji on rice paper. In that one fleeting moment, the joy of killing left me and I had no choice but to turn and walk away."

 

Kenshin looked at the younger man in shock for a moment before turning his eyes onto Misao's face in wonder. Could this really be true? Did he in fact owe his life to the very same girl that they were accusing of betrayal during the Kuni Tori? The idea sent his head spinning.

 

Soujiro looked at the older man with a serious expression on his face, "Oh, believe it Himura-san. Though it may not be a fact that I'm proud of, I was the personal assassin to the devil himself. Do you really think I left many live bodies in my wake?"

 

Across the room Kaoru covered her mouth with her hand. In an instant she finally realized that the heartless killer everyone had told her about and the sweet, helpful young man she had come to think of as a brother were one in the same. It was a fact that chilled her to the bone, especially what he had just mentioned. If what he said was true....she didn't even want to think of it!

 

Aoshi however refused to budge an inch on the matter. "Nonsense." he snapped, "Can't you see that he's just fabricating this...this fairytale to prove his point? Not that he has one. The fact still remains that they carried on behind our backs like a pair of alley cats in heat."

 

Soujiro's eyes flashed coldly at he fixed the irritating man with an icy stare. "I warned you before about tarnishing Misao's name Shinomori," he growled low in his throat, "I assure you our relationship was far from what you're suggesting."

 

Aoshi was unmoved, "Of course it was." he sneered.

 

Kenshin shot the younger man a warning glare. "Throwing barbs like this will not get us anywhere at all Aoshi, that it will not. Let them speak de gozaru."

 

Disagreement shown clearly on his face, Aoshi sighed and sat on the floor with the others and folded his arms. "Fine," he said, "If they want to speak, let them speak."

 

Misao's eyes were both sad and annoyed, "You're so diplomatic," she said dryly.

 

In response to her saddened words, Soujiro squeezed her hand reassuringly. This was their chance to make things right and there was no way anything was going to distract them from their purpose

 

And so with a deep breath, he began the tale...

 

"I was the one who approached Misao first. At first I only followed her around when she was out on the streets, never once allowing her to see who I was. She could only sense me close on her tail, and relying on instinct alone, she would dodge her way through the crowds in a effort to lose me.  I would treat it as a game but gradually I grew tired of it. I didn't just want to follow her around. I

wanted to talk to her. To find out what spell she had used on me to save her freind's life."

 

As his part of the tale came to an end Misao took in a breath of her own before carrying on the saga exactly where he had left off without even having to be asked.

 

"The first time that we spoke face to face, Sou infiltrated the Aioya's grounds all on his own. No one even knew he was there, he moved the way a shadow moves along the wall and not even the best of us could detect any sign of his presence."

 

Surprisingly enough, Megumi was the next to speak, "Wait. You say that no one knew that he was there, right? Doesn't that imply that he came into your room and woke you up?"

 

Misao shook her head, "Iie," she replied, "To this day I have no idea whether he was in my room or not. I woke myself that night, " she said casting a nervous glance toward Aoshi,, "A nightmare. It scared me so much that I woke up and ran into the garden downstairs for some air."

 

"He was there, in the garden when I arrived. At first I did not sense him, but then he said something that made me look up. Of course as soon as I did and saw who it was I was ready to fight for my family's protection. But he was not interested in them at all, he said he came to see me."

 

"He asked me about what happened at Shingetsu, I thought I had only imagined it myself but he kept insisting that he know exactly how I did what he claimed that I did.. When he realized I had no answer he left with the promise that he would see me again."

 

Kenshin's expression grew grim. "Why didn't you tell everyone what was going on from the next day? We would have...."

 

"Would have what, Himura?" Misao snapped angrily, "Do you really think you all would be so kind as to brush off the fact that the Tenken had come to me as a gentleman caller? That I had in no way; encouraged his advance? What would you have done, Himura-san?

 

Kenshin was forced to bow his head in shame. Misao was right. If they had not laughed in her face they surely would have in some small way blamed her for the incident. It was fine once they viewed her as a warrior, but as a woman? They would have torn her apart.

 

"I thought so..." she said quietly. "Ironically enough where all of you failed, Soujiro, even as my enemy, soon made it clear that he saw me as an individual unlike the rest of you. He treated me with respect and patronized me in no way even when the line between us was still clearly marked in the sand."

 

Soujiro nodded in agreement, "I came to speak to her as I do with everyone else I press for information. When I realized that she was truly unaware of what she had done, I instead switched to trying to get inside information on the rest of you, but my Misao is more clever than any of you could have imagined. She  danced around my questions like a sprite on water, and at the same time kept me amused enough to want to keep her alive."

 

Misao blushed at the unexpected compliment as Soujiro beamed down at her with pride. "I was only trying to keep my family safe," she said modestly

 

Soujiro patted her hand gently, "And so you did," he agreed, "As time went on I began to no longer care about getting information from Misao,. I found her presence comforting and I slipped out more times than was necessary in order to be in her company. Wherever Misao was, I followed. She was...always by my side "

 

"As for me," Misao said, "As time went by I became less and less afraid of Sou. I began to get the distinct feeling that he could not lay a hand on me if he tried. I became curious and asked him questions about himself, and especially about his role as an assassin. I couldn't help but notice that behind his smile, his eyes grew sad every time his purpose was mentioned I began to realize that behind the mask, he was very much  a human being. There is no great difference between you and Sou, Himura. All he really needed was a friend".

 

The sound of a fist slamming on the wooden floor broke the beauty of the story.

 

"A friend?" Aoshi repeated bitterly, "Didn't you realize what you were doing? What if had been an act all along, eh? What would you have done it your "friend" had decided to slit your throat?"

 

Misao straightened in her seat, "I would be offended by that Aoshi-sama, "But at least now even you admit that it wasn't all an act."

 

Seething, Aoshi held his tongue lest he provoke a far more vexing response from Misao's lips.

 

Soujiro smirked a little at his lover's victory. "She is right, " he agreed, "It wasn't for show at all. When she began being kind to me I didn't quite know how to respond. No one had ever been kind to me before and the feeling it brought was…addictive. Inside me something was breaking, I began to see things in a different light, and my life as the Tenken became more and more of a lie because as Misao once told me. It was what I did, not who I was."

 

Unconsciously, Misao leaned against Sou's shoulder. "I too began wondering who I was during that time, I went on with my life at the Aoiya as usual, but I too began feeling as if I were living a lie. I hated to admit it to myself, but I had grown attached to his company as he had to mine. Even as I declared myself the new okashira and began to make the best plans I could to defend the city, it never escaped me that I was in fact conspiring against someone I had grown to care for very much."

 

As the most emphatic one in the group, Kaoru could feel her own heart being torn in two at the story that unfolded before her. Poor Soujiro and Misao, they really were meant to be together, but the circumstances of the day threatened to keep them both apart. She wondered if she herself could have gone the other way if it were Kenshin and herself in that situation. Irregardless to what the others  may have believed, she knew in her heart that they both had already been punished severely enough for their so-called crime.

 

Even Aoshi's face lost some of it's irritation as the sadness in Misao's tone failed to escape him. Gradually he was beginning to see that Misao's life must have been emptier than he had imagined and that her so-called "fling" held more substance than any of them had ever suspected. But still....of all people, why him? Was this the Fates' way of torturing him? If Misao had fallen for anyone else, even that idiot Sagara, he would have set his jaw and looked the other way. But the way things were...he just couldn't.

 

Soujiro inclined his head slightly so that it rested lightly on top of Misao's. "Day after day, my concern for Misao grew and before I knew it I began asking myself what love was. And although I was unsure of it then, in retrospect I do believe I had fallen in love with Misao somewhere along the way."

 

Aoshi's jaw clenched so tightly it became painful. What sick joke was this, forcing him to hear a murderous puppet's words on love? Worse, that puppet had stolen from him the one thing that he had held dear. Misao was to be for him and him alone, instead her precious heart now lay in Soujiro's bloodied hands and they wanted him to accept it. How could they ask such a thing of him?

 

Seeing her guardian's discomfort, Misao sought to soothe his ego. "When Sou came to me with the prospect of love, I hesitated mainly because I believed I loved Aoshi-sama. I knew I could not serve two masters at once, but to abandon  the thought of either of them was downright impossible to do."

 

Sou lifted his head and faced the man in front of him squarely, "She is right." he said, "She would not abandon the thought of you even if I begged her to and believe me I did."

 

Misao quietly and sincerely agreed, "I assure you Aoshi-sama," she said, "If I had so desired, you and I could have been on the same side."

 

Kenshin's brows flew into his hairline at the realization  that dawned upon him. Did Soujiro really ask Misao to switch sides and been refused? If that were true, then this entire interrogation was pointless to begin with, for he of all people knew women to do stranger things when in love.

 

Aoshi cursed himself a thousand times in his mind for ever doubting Misao's sense of honor. The look of contempt left his face completely for a moment. He should have known that Misao would have been strong, much stronger than he ever was.

 

"Wait," a young voice called out from the back causing all of the adults to turn and look at him, "So you're saying that Soujiro offered you a chance to be a member of the Juppongatana and you refused him?"

 

Misao nodded slightly, "He did. He believed it was the only way he could protect me."

 

"Well then," the young man said while looking around, "It seems that all of you have no point in treating the both of them like criminals in this way. I'm only fourteen, but even I know that it is impossible to choose who you fall in love with."

 

Rising to his feet, he regarded the two main aggressors with an open, honest stare, "Besides," he added, "If you want to pick rice over it, they both still did their jobs the best that they could, no matter how they may have felt about one another. If you ask me, digging up the past like this is wasteful. Are you all going to throw away everything you achieved this past summer on a stupid principle?"

 

All of the adults present looked upon their accuser in silence. They angels really do whisper into the ears of children for they all knew inside that they had been selfish and stubborn, each contributing to a quarrel that should have never been in the first place. For each of them, it would count as one time that they each felt truly ashamed.

 

"I thought so." the young boy said before turning to leave, "If I were you I'd apologize and try to get on with my life. Kami-sama knows I've got more years left than any of you."

 

As the young boy left the dojo, the silence reigned supreme. It suddenly became uncomfortable to look one-another in the eyes. For Aoshi himself, there was a hollow sort of pain inside his heart as he focused his attention on the way Soujiro held his beloved Misao's hand. he could not help but notice the extra care that went into that touch.

 

If that gesture was any indication of how dearly the Tenken held the young girl in his heart then truly all was lost. Society might demand that he take Misao for his own and head right back to the Aoiya. But even through his pain he could tell that heaven would never forgive him for it..

 

And Misao, sweet Misao. Under the influence of Soujiro's smile she blossomed like sakura along the walkways outside. She had never smiled quite that way for him, and no wonder. Even after he returned he received her kindness with coldness, afraid to open his heart to her and allow her to melt the ice within. That kind of cowardice was the biggest crime in question here today, and he was paying very dearly for it indeed.

 

It was done. He had lost. There was nothing more that he could do.

 

Slowly, he drew himself to his full height again, regarding the two youngsters with a calculating stare before speaking.

 

"In no way do I condone what had happened three years ago," he said grimly, "But it appears to me today that I was wrong on at least one count."

 

Misao's eyes widened and her lips parted slightly as Aoshi turned his gaze on her again. His jaw was set, but in his eyes he held the shadow of regret, and the sparkle of love.

 

"Tenken listen and listen well," he ordered, "If you want to have our Misao you must do so honorably. You must find a way of supporting her, and once you do, you will do the honorable thing and give her your name. And if you ever hurt her in the slightest way, I will tear you into to pieces too small for the scavengers to find. Do I make myself clear?"

 

Soujiro's own mouth opened in shock for a moment, but he soon closed it as he felt Misao squeeze his hand gently, "I give you my word, I will." he promised.

 

Aoshi narrowed his eyes slightly, "I will believe it when I see some results....Seta."

 

Without another word the former okashira turned and left the room. He did not wish to see the joy on Misao's face as she looked toward the one she had chosen over himself. Unwilling to admit to the look of love written in the Tenken's eyes as he looked upon the girl that he himself had loved since the day of her birth.

 

**********************************

 

Gradually he became the aware of two things. First, was the sound of footsteps that were deliberately following him out of step, just begging to be acknowledged. Second was the acrid smell of tobacco invading the delicate tissue of his nasal passages, an aroma that could only indicate the presence of one person and one person only.

 

Saitou raised both his gloved hands, bringing them together in a slow, mocking applause as he smirked at the former okashira's turned back.

 

"Nice speech you made back there Shinomori," he growled in a tone that dripped sarcasm, "Even if it was all bullshit."

 

Too tired and irritated to keep his cool, Aoshi turned on the wolf in an instant, his usually calm demeanor long lost in the insanity of the day gone by. "I don't remember asking you for your opinion Saitou." He snapped.

 

"Well," the officer of the law drawled without missing a single beat, "You should be honored that I bothered to give it to you then."

 

"Teme," Aoshi growled, "How dare you treat all this as if it were a joke? I'd be willing to bet that you dragged that brat of yours here on purpose just so he could say all those inexcusable things to Misao!"

 

The feral-looking slits of gold that were Saitou's eyes became even narrower than before, "Oh please," he said, "As if you were in there defending her honor ten minutes ago. Once Eiji realized his beloved "aneki" was the one involved I couldn't pay him to stay at home with his mother And as I recall, you were the only one trying to tear the girl apart, sanctimonious jackass that you are. I should drag your ass back to the station for falsely reporting that little skunk kidnapped."

 

Aoshi Shinomori was for once in his lifetime, speechless. The wolf was indeed an infuriating man, but he did raise an excellent point, one that the Oniwabanshu could not deny.

 

As Aoshi continued to stare back at him speechlessly, Saitou himself took the opportunity to light another cigarette, puffing almost thoughtfully before he removed the fag from his mouth, instead using it to point in the younger man's direction.

 

"Must have been hard for you to give her up like that," he observed, for a moment looking a bit less like the bastard that he was, "Some people might say you were the bigger man, but personally, I think you're an idiot." Exhaling, he sent a large cloud of smoke to surround his unwilling companion.

 

"Then again," he added, bastard status readily retained, "You already knew that."

 

Aoshi's look of irritation returned and increased tenfold, "What do you want, wolf?" he hissed.

 

"Wrong question, ahou," the cop returned almost good-naturedly, "The question is, what do you want?"

 

Aoshi blinked, "What the hell are you talking about?" he asked.

 

The wolf was unrelenting, "Did you really let her go just now, or is this just part of some larger plot to get her away?" he asked in that, quiet, dangerous voice, "I doubt the weasel would appreciate the latter."

 

Aoshi's temper flared again, "What the fuck do you think?!" he hissed, "Even if I tried, there's nothing I could do! That damn Tenken....and Misao!...how! how could she?!" 

 

"So you just gave up then?"

 

Aoshi nearly ground his teeth, "Just make your goddamn point while I still have the patience. I'm sick and tired of being made the fool."

 

Saitou's half smile almost disappeared, "You are a fool ahou, if you don't have the honor to give the girl up honestly."

 

"I already acknowledge the bloody fact that they love each-other!" the icicle hissed, "What more could you possibly want from me?"

 

Saitou made a brief snorting noise, "And you think that's really enough of a blessing? You really are an idiot." Throwing the butt of his cigarette down, he ground it out under his shoe, "Last time I looked," he muttered, "It was better to give something because you wanted to, not because it softened the blow to yourself."

 

"So you think I should've acted like I wanted to do it?" the angry ninja interjected.

 

Saitou's preditorial glare forced the younger man to take stock, "I think you should have wanted to make the girl happy, not yourself." he said quietly.

 

Aoshi's temper seemed to dissipate somewhat, "Oh she's happy," he said in a voice tinged with sadness and regret, "She was so happy she didn't even look at me."

 

Saitou's countenance did not change, but his shoulders relaxed a little as he folded his arms against his uniformed chest. "Experience has taught me that in a situation like this it is best to clear the air from the very start, at least, that's what a real man would do."

 

Aoshi's expression soured once more, "I don't need to hear you preach the way Battousai does. And I don't have a grudge," he pouted, "I'm just....hurt....she didn't really...but it was for him…"

 

The wolf turned away unsympathetically, "Whatever, I've been hanging around my wife too much to be wanting to try and save yourself from your own sorry ass." Turning his head slightly, he allowed his golden gaze to burn into the younger man once more, "From this point on you can go two ways ahou," he said, "Either you wish for the girl's happiness or you run away and live like a coward while she flaunts her smiling baka in your face. The choice is up to you."

 

Aoshi stared, openmouthed into the eyes of his accuser for a moment before looking away again, his long, ruffled bangs hiding most of his expression from view. The wolf was many things, but never a liar. Just how long was he planning on pretending to be happy with the arrangement? How could he even speak to Misao when all he could think about was slitting her lover's murderous throat?

 

Something akin to sympathy crossed the wolf's golden eyes, "She may have been devoted to you,  but she gave her heart to the one she loved. That smiling dolt and the weasel girl's case isn't the first in history," he said, "They both broke the code which they knew was a serious offense if it were to be known. The code of honor. There are much harder choices a warrior has to make. They chose the former over the latter. The majority in a group would clap them on the shoulder and say 'You did the right thing', the honorable thing, but they just didn't have the fortitude to leave their groups. So, was that what they did courageous, or cowardly? Either way you've got to deal with the results now."

 

After a moment of silence Aoshi looked up again to find that Saitou was already walking in the direction that his foster-son had previously disappeared into.

 

"Wait," he half-shouted, "Why are you telling me this?"

 

The wolf paused without turning around, "Frankly the fact is that I have enough work to do at the station without your neurotic ass tripping off anytime soon, " he rudely replied.

 

"Sayonara ahou."

 

Fifteen minutes later Aoshi was still staring at the spot that Saitou had previously occupied, too deep in his own thoughts to realize that his mouth was hanging open in a very un-Aoshilike way. As reality slowly seeped into his senses, his first thought was that he had to hand it to the wolf of Mibu.

 

He sure knew how to put things into perspective.

 

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