Legacy

 

An RK Fanfic: i.e. the author doesn't claim rights to the anime used.

 

Chapter 21- Angel

 

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"…I can't live in doubt anymore.

Do we try or should we just say good-bye?"

                                                            

                                                      "Vector" (Vision of Escaflowne)

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He felt silly.

 

Actually, what he felt was beyond silly. To tell the absolute truth, it was more along the lines of "stupid". If his four comrades had been alive, they would have had quite a time laughing their asses off at him. In fact, he wouldn't have been surprised if they were snickering down from the heavens right at that very moment.

 

However there was an emotion stirring within him besides embarrassment, and it overshadowed the former like an angry storm cloud, making it seem absolutely insignificant.

 

Guilt. He described himself as a gentleman, but his actions the day before had spoken differently. If she hadn't been so scared, if she hadn't thrown him off, what could have happened between them then? His mind wandered back to the vivid memory of the dark material of her training garb sticking to her dewy skin, the heat of her breath against the bare skin of his throat, the beads of sweat that slowly slipped from her chin all the way down into her visible décolletage… Did he really have that much self control? Self-doubt pricked at his conscience like a wasp's sting. Perhaps, he tried to convince himself, she would be able to forgive him? He immediately shook his head, his age and experience dictated that as  the distance between his feet and the Kamiya dojo diminished, the image of a smiling blue-haired beauty began to dim while it's counterpart of an angry and quite possibly armed Hideki bearing down on him grew clearer and clearer with every step. 

 

What in the world was happening to him? Here he was, pushing thirty and acting like a nervous thirteen year old at the prospect of seeing Hideki again. Well, it was either he faced the music now and took whatever he had coming to him, or he could turn around and let himself wonder about all the "what ifs" his overworked mind could come up with. Strengthening his resolve, Aoshi hid the bouquet behind his back and opened the gate.

 

 

As usual, Kenshin was squatting before the front steps, elbow deep in sudsy laundry water. Never in a million years could he understand why a man of Kenshin's caliber found joy in such a…well, feminine chore but it didn't diminish the respect he held for him in the least.

 

As he approached, the red head immediately looked up with a disarming smile, "Why, good afternoon Aoshi," he said cheerfully, "What brings you to the dojo?"

 

Trapped. There was no way he was getting out of this question with his dignity intact. Oh well, they always say things are better if they are quick and painless.

 

Taking a deep breath he said the five words that he knew would forever shatter his image as the cool and calculative ex-okashira of the Oniwabanshu.

 

"I'm here to see Hideki."

 

Nothing. No toppling headfirst into the washtub, no stuttery repetition of his question, not even a single "oro". Aoshi quickly raised his eyes to look at Kenshin again in question, but his friend was already heading in the direction of the dojo, calling over his shoulder that Hideki would be with him in a moment.

 

Aoshi found himself to be the one left mildly shocked as Kenshin disappeared from his sight. Could she have told them what had happened already? He shuddered as he remembered all the times that Misao had come home in a fit of anger, only too happy to declare who had made her so angry in the first place and what she intended to do when she got a hold of them again. Then again, Hideki and Misao were quite different, and the situation was an innocent one…sort of. Still, he found himself nervously shifting from foot to foot as he looked toward the training hall for his…

 

"Angel…" he breathed, suddenly forgetting his own last name.

 

All the times that he had seen her before, Hideki had kept her hair either tightly braided to her head, or tied securely at the nape with a strip of cloth. Today however, it was free of all restraint, and cascaded around her shoulders in generous waves, it's color highlighted in silver by the sunshine that fell upon it's tresses. The kimono she wore was of a royal blue, with a lighter, powdery blue colored obi wrapped around her trim waist. As Aoshi came into her line of view, he could detect a distinct hint of scarlet from under her lightly tanned cheeks that made her already lovely features appear to be even more delicate than before.

 

Slowly, she descended the steps of the training hall and carefully made her way to the place where Aoshi stood. Her eyes were wide with an emotion that he could not place, and he soon found himself drowning in the depths of those indigo portals.

 

"Why are you here?"

 

Her voice was quiet, barely above a whisper, but the impact of her words was still the same. He could just feel his heart sinking into the pit of his stomach as her emotions suddenly closed themselves to him. Her eyes, still as beautiful as ever, now regarded him with no more concern than she would have given to a grocery list or a loose thread on her sleeve.

 

Finally, he let out the breath that he had been unconsciously holding, as he let his eyes drop to the ground around his feet. "What happened yesterday…" he began in an equally soft voice, "I…I wanted to apologize to you."

 

Hideki did not react, she didn't even blink, "What made you think that I would accept an apology from you, Shinomori-san?" she said calmly, "There is nothing to apologize for, what happened was an accident and I overreacted, nothing more."

 

"If anything…" she continued, "I should be the one apologizing to you for striking you."

 

Aoshi could do nothing but stare at what he could see of her face, her eyes were downcast and her bangs had fallen over her eyes lending her a look of complete remorse. She looked exactly like a child who thought she would never get back into her parent's good graces. Her apology was a genuine one, not just a ruse to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

 

He ran his free hand through his hair, a nervous habit he thought he had dropped as a teenager. "Well I…" he said quietly, as he frantically searched his mind for the correct thing to say…anything at all.

 

"Kusokube-san you have no need to apologize to me!" he finally blurted out, "If I hadn't hesitated to stand up you wouldn't have had to throw me off in the first place!"

 

"Oh smooth Shinomori, smooth." He mentally chided himself as his cheeks began to burn. However, he also noticed that although Hideki's expression had not changed, her skin was once again sporting a distinct pink undertone.

 

"Anyway," he said quickly in an effort to smooth things over, "I was the one who was wrong, not you," he bowed deeply in her direction, "I apologize."

 

For the briefest moment, the light returned to Hideki's eyes but it flickered as some secret thought crossed her mind. "I can't do this," she chided herself, "I can't endanger him like this, he doesn't have to involved." Even if it ripped her apart to do so, she had to send him away, whether his feelings were genuine or not.

 

It was her lot to protect others' happiness, not to pursue her own. 

 

Her heart pounded in her ears as if in protest to what she was about to do, but she fought against it. Closing her eyes she took a deep breath to steel herself against what she thought she had to say.

 

"Shinomori-san …"  she began.

 

She stopped short as a familiar scent permeated her senses. "It couldn't be…" she thought as her eyes flew open in surprise, but right there below her nose was a gorgeous garland of her favorite flowers. Attached to the bouquet was an arm and that arm was attached to…

 

"Shinomori…" she breathed in disbelief.

 

Aoshi's smile may have seemed confident but inside his stomach was twirling. "It's an apology," he said gently, "and a promise…to always treat you with the respect you deserve."

 

 Emotionless façade forgotten, Hideki stared openmouthed up at Aoshi's apologetic, hopeful and very genuine face. When last had a man had looked at her that way? As if she were the single most precious thing in the world and he could not bear the thought of losing her good graces?

 

"Oh Aoshi…"

 

Why was it that the minute she had landed on her homeland's shores she became so susceptible to tears? The corners of her eyes burned with them even as a timid smile began to play on the corners of her seashell-pink mouth. Emotions that she had long since repressed were awakening deep within her. Fear and hope swirled deep within the confines of her soul, like the current of the sea when cold water combines with the warmer waters of the surface. Slowly, she reached out her left hand, the same hand that had dealt the blow the day before.

 

Aoshi froze when he realized that her hand was reaching out for him. Her eyes were suspiciously bright, and their corners glimmered distinctly as she inclined her head toward the sun's light as she regarded him carefully.

 

He had expected a slap, he had even braced himself to receive one. However, that was not what Hideki had had in mind for him. Ever so gently, her fingertips brushed against his temple briefly, then tracing a feathery-light caress across his previously injured cheek. Although the redness had faded, the bruise was still very much there, but surprisingly Aoshi felt no pain as her carefully controlled fingers traced the near-invisible contours of the injury.

 

"What am I doing?" she silently asked herself as Aoshi's eyes searched her own in question. Why was the attraction to this one so very strong? She could feel a wonderful tingling go straight from the roots of her hair, to the soles of her feet and back again.

 

"…and why," she thought with a bittersweet smile, "Why is he wasting his time on

me?"

 

Aoshi's hopes lifted along with the corners of Hideki mouth. Her eyes were still a little sad, but he could see some pleasure dancing in there as well. Was she going to forgive him? "Oh please Kami, let the answer be 'yes'," he prayed.

 

Smile wavering slightly, Hideki allowed the questing hand drop from Aoshi's face onto the petals of the flowers she half-held by covering his hand with her own. Slowly, her gaze followed her hand and when she spoke again her voice was soft, timid and very un-Hideki-like.

 

"I'm afraid there is nothing you can do to rectify what's happened between us." she whispered.

 

Aoshi's heart fell right back down to the place where it had started, "Kusoku…" he began to say, only to be cut short as Hideki pushed herself up on tiptoes while resting her hand on his right shoulder for balance.

 

"How could a woman's body be so strong, yet have lips as soft as sakura petals?" Aoshi felt himself think as Hideki's mouth skillfully caressed his skin with even more tenderness than her hands had.  Gently, she kissed the epicenter of the fading injury once before slowly drawing away, boldly looking him in the eyes as she did so.

 

"I said there was nothing you could do," she said in a slightly stronger tone than before, "That's because it was my error in the first place. However, if you'd let me," she continued, "I would like to make it up…to you."

 

Aoshi watched with barely concealed pleasure as the light slowly returned to Hideki's eyes and the blush on her cheeks settled into a warm, healthy glow. Growing nervous under his adoring gaze, she gently bit the corner of her bottom lip with her left incisor and slightly tilted her head again, lending her face the cute look that had earned her her childhood nickname.

 

It was that act that had been his undoing. Once his attention had fallen upon her mouth, he recalled how soft her lips had felt against his cheek. Naturally, he wondered how they would feel against his own mouth? Like a man in a dream, he found himself bending to capture that sweet little mouth with his own….

 

 

"Hideki-nee!!!"

 

Our two would-be lovers sprang apart at the sound of the children's voices. No sooner had they done so, two adorable little girls tumbled out of the dojo and ran towards them, only stopping when they had firmly attached themselves to the skirt of Hideki's kimono.

 

With the open curiosity that only children can posses, they peeked at Aoshi briefly from the folds of fabric draped around their "sister's" hips before directly addressing the object of their adoration.

 

"Hideki-neechan," the elder said sweetly, "You said you would come back to play the rest of the song for us."

 

The younger shook her head enthusiastically, "Yeah Hideki-nee! Play for us, please?" On her last word she thrust something into Hideki's hand.

 

Hideki took the proffered item and instantly turned a deeper shade of pink, instantly looking up into Aoshi's eyes sheepishly. Following the child's gaze, he found that Hideki held none other than the flute he had given her the previous day. As he looked up toward her face again her blush deepened even more and she unconsciously placed her free hand on little Suzume's  head.

 

"I…um…" she began to say.

 

Surprising them both, Aoshi squatted down in front of the two girls. Reaching into the bouquet he still held, he plucked out two blossoms, placing one in Ayame's hair and the other in Suzume's. "How about," he suggested, "Hideki-chan and I take both of you out for a little walk by the river, and we can listen to her play there, hm?"

 

Both girls giggled with delight at the attention being paid to them. As soon as he made his suggestion, they both looked up at Hideki with pleading eyes. "Honto ni?" they asked, "Can we really go Hideki-nee?"

 

Hideki looked from the children to Aoshi and back again. Well, it seemed that for now she was surrounded, and a walk with the children did sound awfully good.

 

"Oh, alright," she said with an amiable grin, "You two just run along inside to tell Kenshin-nii and Kaoru-nee where you are going first o.k?"

 

"Hai!" the girls replied in unison as they rushed off to do as they were told.

 

Hideki watched them with a smile as they tumbled over each other and back up the dojo's steps. Turning back toward Aoshi she closed her eyes in mock-conceit as she teased him.

 

"Now don't go thinking that this is a date or anything," she said in her regular, upbeat tone, "I mean you wouldn't want me smacking you around for the second time in tw..." She was cut of by the sensation of something sliding into her hair, near her left temple.

 

Aoshi gently fingered the petals of the bloom before gently brushing his fingertips down Hideki's burning cheek. Admiring perfect she looked with the peony tucked above her left ear he gently pressed the rest of the bouquet into her free hand.

 

"I won't." he promised with a smile.

 

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