Disclaimer: I do not own RK. How many times I have to say this to make you people believe?
Author: I just reread chapter 2 and ... It was horrible! I have to apologize about all mistakes and unclear sentences. I didn't read it trough and so many, too many mistakes were left in it. I had even forgotten to write some events! (Like Misao ever going to her room... She just suddenly was there.)
I am so sorry! I have corrected those I found and uploaded the fixed version with this.
Thank you to all those who continue to read and review this! I want to apologize for the delay. I am one heck of a lazy person and my muse has been running from me for the longest time... It is annoying, really.
Chapter 3. Wipe away all fear
The street was puzzling with people and more appeared all the time. Yahiko guided Mei through the growing crowd easily and patiently. Since Mei was staying at the dojo, Yahiko had decided to stay there also for now. He wanted to be there to help her since he had quite a good idea just how little she liked having to need help even in simple matters such as shopping.
When Kaoru had thoughtlessly just said that Mei could go shopping, she had not considered just how hard it would be for her. And so without telling anyone, he went with her. She had been a little bit angry in the beginning, but she had calmed down pretty soon and now she was laughing and being like nothing had happened.
Kaoru had some training to do in a dojo at the other end of the town and Kenshin was busy with the children and housework, and so Kaoru had decided that Mei was perfect for the job. She had promised to help and work for her keep, she knew this, but shopping was hard. She could have kept an eye on the children easily without having to see, she could have made food that would be at least better than Kaoru's, she could have washed laundry, cleaned floors. There was so much she could have done. And Kaoru made her go shopping.
Misao sighed as she heard Yahiko bargain for lower price at rice store. She had learned during her travels just how stressing shopping could be. Finding the correct shop with listening to what they advertised in loud voices or by asking people was sometimes very frustrating. Also, she couldn't say if the food was still fresh by any other means than smell, feel and taste, which sometimes wasn't enough, since not many allowed her to simply take an apple and bit it to see what it tasted like. She had learned to hate shopping.
She had felt slightly annoyed when Yahiko had came with her, but had understood how much easier it would make things for her. She had no intentions of holding any grudge against him since he only wanted to help her. Without him, it would positively take her more than two hours to finish shopping and all she had to buy was a bit of rice, some fruits and tofu.
But somehow now he ended up doing everything and she felt bad about it. She could not really help him and the chore appointed to her had shifted to him and all she could do was stand and wait. She was never the one to stand still and quiet for long, she wanted and needed action in her life. For so long she had suppressed this side of herself by lying and hiding from pain. But the truth was that she was meant to act, to move and do.
It was sometimes very frustrating to live like this. Knowing fully well what it was she had lost, it wasn't much of a comfort to know she had gained something else.
She missed seeing. No matter how well she could read ki, no matter how well she heard and could shape her surroundings, she would never stop missing. Colours were what she missed the most along with seeing her friends and the people she cared for.
But a long time had already passed since she had lost her sight and she had learned not to let these thoughts devour her like they once had. She felt sad, frustrated and all that, but she didn't allow it to control her. Not any more. She would be thankful for what she had instead of always mourning that which she had lost.
Suddenly she heard a scream. It was not loud and seemed to come from far away but her sharp, trained ears caught the sound. "Thief! Stop that man!" A female voice screamed desperately. Misao shut out normal sounds and concentrated on people's steps. Some walked slower and some faster, but she was searching for the running ones.
Her searching was rewarded as heavy, fast footsteps came closer to her. Almost predatory smile rose to her lips and she stepped forward. She heard complains as the man pushed his way trough the masses with little care for others. She walked to the place he would soon reach.
She heard his steps coming closer... Closer... Soon he would reach her. He is only a meter away when she stepped from his path swiftly and then brought up her cane successfully tripping him. The man fell onto the ground with a grunt and a small purse slipped from his hold hitting the ground a silent cling. Misao smiled, stepped upon it and picked it then up.
"Not yours, is it now?" She said as the man slowly rose to his feet. He spit and drew a knife from his pocket.
"Bitch. Give that to me. Now." He said and pointed the blade at Misao. It was then that he noticed her ruined eyes and grinned. There was no way he could lose to a blind person and a woman on top of that.
"Hmmm... No. I don't think I will." Misao said and smiled at him sweetly. She could sense his ki easily and he was angry. His anger and untrained ki told her enough. The man was no one and she would have no problems defeating him. Still she would have to be cautious since there was no telling how strong or tall the man was. Or if he had a weapon. People around them muttered and pulled aside. Misao held up her cane and took a battle stance just before he launched at her.
He was faster than she had thought, but he was nowhere near fast enough. She pulled herself away from harms way and hit his back. He crawled forward unsteadily for a moment groaning in pain. "You bitch!" He muttered. Misao grinned as he turned to attack her again. "You don't learn too fast now do you?" She chuckled.
The man launched another attack with a scream and this time Misao held her ground. She dodged carefully since she had no idea if he had a weapon in his hand and hit the thief in the stomach and as he doubled over she hit his upper back. A small sound reached her ears as metal hit the ground. *So he did have a weapon.* The man groaned on the ground, but couldn't get up.
"Wasn't that an overkill? He was not worth the attention you gave him." Yahiko said and walked to Misao with two bags of rice in his hands.
"Perhaps. But I think this taught him a lesson. Besides I needed an outlet." She said smiling brightly at him. Then she turned to look behind her. She had heard light footsteps coming near and then stopping. After shifting in one place for some time, the steps came nearer again.
"I presume this belongs to you." She said smiling gently at a young woman who stopped walking immediately after Misao spoke. She was watching Misao with amazement. Misao held out the purse and the woman nodded and then added hastily. "Thank you." She bowed and took the purse holding onto it tightly.
"Don't lose it again." She said smiling sweetly. She could feel her nervousness and so turned away. She also heard a pipe being blown and could guess that a police was coming. Just in time to take the groaning man away.
She didn't really pay attention as Yahiko explained to the police what had happened. She did hear enough to know that this was not the first time those two met. She could very well guess that Yahiko had some time in the past helped the police with something. He was that kind of a person. He followed Kenshin's footsteps in this time of peace.
Whose footsteps was she following?
Where were those steps leading her?
She had come to accept the past, but her future was unsure. She didn't know what she wanted from it. The thought of returning to the Aoiya was tempting, but she had a feeling that doing so she would be running from the pain again. They would accept her, they would once again protect her and shelter her from the pain. She didn't want that. It would be the easy way out, but she knew it wouldn't be the right one for her.
She would visit them of course, but she would not return there permanently. Somewhere had to be a place for her. A place she would learn to call home. That was something she had learned on her journey. She would have to make her own home somewhere else than the Aoiya.
She followed Yahiko around the streets while he bought the rest Kaoru had asked for. Then they headed back to the dojo, Misao carrying the fruits and tofu. Yahiko seemed to sense that she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts and so he remained silent all the way back.
Misao still felt a bit unsure of her position to feel comfortable there. Kaoru was tense around her and Kenshin was bound to be a bit cautious. Yahiko was the only one that she felt comfortable with. Though she had to admit that Kenshin's presence calmed her considerably. He was always calm and composed. He understood ki and so knew what to do to keep his emotions under control.
He was the only one that truly could understand her there.
As they turned to the street where the dojo was located, Misao sighed. "I haven't been much of a company, have I?" She said with sad voice. Yahiko was surprised at her suddenly speaking and hurried to say that she was wrong. She merely smiled and returned to her thoughts.
"Mei-san." Yahiko said suddenly and stopped. Misao stopped as well and turned to him.
"Would you like to meet the others?" He asked and Misao understood immediately that he spoke of Sanosuke and Megumi.
Those two had never been her closest friends, but friends never the less. Sanosuke had had the annoying habit of calling her weasel and Megumi had always seemed somewhat distant to her. They had never really spoken. Still, they had been people she had called friends. She smiled at Yahiko.
"I am certain we will meet sooner or later." She said. "For now, why don't we walk to the dojo and tell me how things have been in here."
They continued walking and Yahiko told her how Sanosuke had returned and then followed Megumi to Aizu. They didn't really know what had happened, but he returned with Megumi and they bought the house they now lived in. Where the money came, Yahiko had no idea since Sanosuke had always been very poor.
Misao smiled all the time, ignoring the aching hope that she someday would find a place to call home like her friends had done.
Kenshin had spent the morning wondering what he should do. He no longer considered Mei to be a threat, she had dispelled that fear during the morning hours. And seeing Yahiko running after her wet from head to toe while she laughed and tried to escape had been final thing that convinced him.
What bothered him now, was the strange feeling that he got being close to her.
They had not spent many moments together except the morning, but he could not shake the feeling off. It was not the feeling of threat nor did her presence make him uncomfortable. It was something else, something he didn't quite understand.
It was that feeling that made him want to ask about her from Aoshi. The people at the Aoiya probably knew about her and he wished to understand who the woman actually was. The only thing that was stopping him was the feeling of trust. For some reason, he already now trusted her. It was not because of Yahiko, but because of her. But how could he trust a person he had just met?
He sighed and continued washing the hakama while occasionally glancing at Kenji and Taisuke. Kenji was keeping his brother company and at the moment they were throwing a ball back and fort between them. Yuriko on the other hand was sleeping on the ground on a blanket.
"We are back."
Kenshin raised his head a little as he heard Yahiko's voice. So he had went with Mei as he had suspected. Mei had not looked very happy when Kaoru had asked her to go shopping. Kenshin had thought about it and he soon understood why. He was glad that Yahiko had understood it and left after her.
He quickly washed off the last stains and then hung up the laundry. Kenji and Taisuke had already left to meet with Yahiko, but Yuriko was still deep asleep. Kenshin pondered whether he should wake her or not. He was slowly trying to learn not to worry too much, but he knew that there still might be people after him and in that case they would also be after his children. Still, she looked so peaceful in her sleep that he didn't want to wake her.
"Himura-san?"
His problem was solved when Mei walked to his direction, her cane sweeping the ground as she walked. It hit the ball Kenji and Taisuke had been playing with and she immediately stopped.
"Don't worry. It is just a ball." Kenshin said immediately to dispel her worry. She nodded and continued walking to him.
"Is there something I can help with? Yahiko is putting the things away since he knows where they belong." She said and stopped close to him. Kenshin looked at her and saw nothing that would make him feel this strange trust and closeness.
"You can watch Yuriko-chan while I start a fire for the bath." He said and Mei nodded. There was a gentle smile on her face as she spoke. "You would trust me to do that?"
Kenshin was actually surprised, because she really seemed happy and a little bit surprised. He smiled. "Yes."
She smiled at him and there was nothing sinister in that smile. "Would you mind pointing her for me? She keeps very little noise."
Kenshin nodded and walked to the little girl with Mei following him closely. She sat close to Yuriko and Kenshin walked to the bath feeling a lot better leaving Yuriko under Mei's watchful eye. It was strange that he would trust his daughter into the hands of a woman he had only met yesterday.
This troubled him so, too much. He trusted her and then doubted that feeling. Perhaps it would be for the best if he would send a message to Aoshi asking about her. But that could wait. Kaoru would be home in about an hour and she would want to bathe as soon as she arrived.
He was blowing the fire to burn brighter when Yahiko came to him. He didn't say anything, but seemed satisfied to merely stand there waiting for him to finish. When the fire was burning merrily Kenshin turned his attention on Yahiko. He looked a little nervous about something.
"What is it?" Kenshin asked carefully and saw Yahiko look even more nervous. Then he spoke suddenly as if he was afraid that if he didn't say it now, he wouldn't say it at all.
"I want you to send a message to the Aoiya to tell that Mei-san is here." He blurted out and it wasn't anything Kenshin had been expecting. He blinked. "Why?" He asked before he realised that Yahiko might not want to tell him that much if he was nervous about merely asking him to favour. And he was correct. Yahiko froze and seemed to grown restless and even a little alerted. There was obviously something he didn't want to tell them about Mei.
"Please, would you just send the message?" He asked and shifted from one foot to another. Kenshin nodded and Yahiko bowed. "Thank you." He said and left in a hurry leaving Kenshin to wonder what all that was about.
Yahiko walked away quickly, but he knew he couldn't run from the guilty feeling he kept having. Misao may not want to meet them, but he just had to tell them that she was all right. Or more precisely he had to tell Aoshi. He had come to the conclusion that he cared for her and as such he simply couldn't keep him in darkness. But still working behind Misao's back like this didn't make him feel good at all. It sickened him, but not telling Aoshi would make him feel bad as well. Of course Misao was closer to him and as such he would do as she wished. But she had not said not to tell them. It was a weak excuse but it made him feel a little bit better.
He walked to the place he had seen her last and there she was sitting next to Yuriko and she was smiling. She looked so calm and happy that he found himself smiling with her. She deserved happiness after all she had went through. Even before she had lost her eyes, her life had not been easy. She had always been so happy and cheerful that he often forgot all the pain she had had to go through. He had never realized her strength before now. Thinking about her search for Aoshi, his betrayal and Kaoru's supposed death he found that he had never realized just how amazing she was. Only after meeting Takahashi Mei he had realized the person Misao was and the inner power she had.
He didn't know how he just stared at her filled with new awe and a new powerful realization. He loved her very dearly.
He had been alone for a long time before Kaoru and Kenshin had taken him in. They had helped him and were his dear friends just like Sanosuke. They had been a part of his life for a long time and he loved them all. But Misao had always been different. She had simply appeared in their lives at Kyoto. She and Kaoru had always been better friends than he and Misao. It wasn't until with the event involving Enishi that he had really gotten to know her and had found that she was much like himself. He remembered how they had run around Tokyo searching for clues. They had been friends, but not in any way particularly good ones.
As he looked at her now he realized that it wasn't until he had met her at the Aoiya that they had started to become closer friends and it wasn't until now that he realised that he loved her. In a short time she had became one of the people he could really count on.
She turned her head to him and her smile was still as beautiful as ever. The sight of her eyes didn't affect him in the least anymore and he walked to her sitting next to her. They sat there quietly both merely enjoying each other's presence. The sun was warm and the sounds of the town were distant. The first thing to disturb the silence was the arrival of Kaoru as she banged the gate's door loudly shut behind her.
Yahiko opened his eyes and turned his eyes towards the sound with a sigh. "Kaoru is home." He said and Misao nodded. "So it seems." She said lazily. "Why don't you go and tell her that the shopping is done?"
Yahiko snorted. "Such information is meaningless to her since Kenshin is the one that cooks." He yawned. The sun and the rest had left him quite lazy and tired. "If you want to tell her, you can go yourself."
Now it was Misao who snorted. "Yeah, right. And feel her pity again? No thank you. I'll pass." She too was sitting there quite comfortably and had no wishes to stand up anytime soon.
"She pities you? I didn't know that." Yahiko said.
Misao nodded. "Pretty much everyone does when they first see my face. You were mostly sad and later angry, but I did feel a little bit pity from you too in the beginning. Kaoru-san was sad and horrified. Later every time I see her she pities me." There was sadness in her voice and Yahiko understood it completely.
"What about Kenshin?" He asked and Misao's lips turned into a smile. As she turned to him she was smiling brightly. "None. He doesn't feel pity or horror. There was a little bit of sadness, but it was only a fleeting feeling." She turned her head back to the sun. "It made me feel real good." She whispered.
Because they didn't have anything more to say, they returned to the comfortable silence they had already enjoyed before. It didn't last as long as the previous though. Kenshin came to them after a while to invite them to eat the dinner. Yahiko sighed and stood up. Misao was already standing and looking for her cane with her hands.
"A little bit to the left." Yahiko said and Misao nodded. Soon she had the cane in her hand and they walked together to the kitchen while Kenshin remained behind to wake up Yuriko.
Yahiko watched as Misao walked the cane swinging securing to path. "Is that hard?" Yahiko asked and Misao shook her head. "Not really after you get used to it. At first it was a little tricky. Want to try?" She asked with a smile and Yahiko took the cane. He moved it before him testing and then closed his eyes. He swept the cane over the ground and took a step. It felt almost scary. Another step and he grew nervous. What if there was a sudden hole? He didn't remember there being anything like it, but he wasn't sure he remembered correctly. He swept over the ground again, this time making sure that there weren't any holes and took another step.
Misao laughed merrily. "If we continue at this pace we won't reach the kitchen before the nightfall."
Yahiko found himself smiling and he opened his eyes. "True, so perhaps it is better that we try this again sometime when we are not expected." He walked to Misao and gave the cane into her hand. She gave him a smile and started walking the cane swinging before her easily. She wasn't walking very fast, but Yahiko knew that compared to the speed he had walked, this was like running. Then he remembered seeing Misao running just this morning and it wasn't until now that he understood just how risky it had been. She could have tripped at any instant.
They reached the kitchen and Yahiko saw Kenshin, Kaoru and the children already there. Kaoru's hair was still wet from the bath and she was holding still sleepy Yuriko in her arms. Kenji and Taisuke were already sitting at the table and both were watching them as they entered. Kenji was wearing a frown on his face as he saw Misao, but as Yahiko gave him a hard look he looked away.
"Hi again." Kaoru said to Misao and Yahiko noticed the flashing look of sadness in her eyes and understood what Misao had been talking about earlier. Now she only nodded at Kaoru's direction and sat down. Yahiko did the same and waited silently for Kenshin to bring out the food. He was getting hungry already.
The usually lively and loud table was uncharacteristically quiet and Yahiko knew that it was because of Misao. The only ones to act normal were Yuriko and Kenshin, but they were never the ones to make the table lively. Pretty much everyone ate in silence and Yahiko found it disturbing, because he knew that Misao would sense it and know that it was her fault. He didn't want her to be hurt because of it.
Kaoru seemed to grow tired of the silence and broke it. Her words sounded strange as they suddenly sounded in the room, but Yahiko was glad that at least someone would say something. "I met Sanosuke today." She turned to Misao. "He is one of our friends. Anyways I told him about you and he wanted to come over."
Yahiko smiled as he remembered how Misao had only few hours earlier said that she was bound meet them sooner or later.
"I told him to come in the evening, because I wanted to make sure that you are alright with it. He will most probably bring his wife along." Kaoru continued and Misao nodded with a slight smile. "It is fine. You don't have to ask me if your friends want to come for a visit."
Kaoru shook her head. "That is not why I asked. I asked because they want to meet you and that required your acceptance." She was looking at Misao expectantly and Misao nodded again. "As I said, I am fine with it."
Kaoru smiled. "Good. They are here probably after few hours."
End of chapter 3.
Author:
Thank you to all those who have reviewed and my sincere apologies to all those who have been waiting for me to continue.
Also before people start to wonder why Kenshin/Yahiko is so eager to contact Aoshi, well they had to be. I had no other way of getting Aoshi to Tokyo. *sweatdrop*
This is a direct
Answers to reviews for chapter 2:
Thank you for reviews to JadeGoddess, Midori Natari Himura, Crystal Snowflakes, me me me and only me, rin, Scoundrel Mynx, Sai, Mariana-chan, gwen, KasumiDestruction, SilverNimbus, Dragowolf (thank you for 2 reviews), x wolfpup x, Cat H, CbN (thank you for the longest and absolutely the best review I have ever gotten), Kyoko.Kai, Ranya, furin, colourful_dreams, Wendy, ^_^, SoT'n'Kenshin, why do u care, Sachairi and Carrie the Open Minded.
Trixie Tang: Yahiko does not have a kunai. It was one of my numerous misspelling and has now been fixed. Thank for letting me know! And the way the children reacted to her is indeed sad, but I can see them doing something like that.
blue eyes: Sano and Megumi ch4. Aoshi about ch6. Okina not in this fic I think. He at least isn't going to come to Tokyo and I am not sure if they return to Kyoto during this fic. Perhaps in an epilogue or something.
Kmye: No, no! Yahiko and Misao are good friends but there is nothing romantic between them. Misao loves Aoshi as stated in World without an Image.
Dark Phoenix: You had many questions so here are the answers.
First, Misao has a good(?) fashion sense and she doesn't wear rugs. My mistake.
Then the eyecover thing.
Misao wears it to HIDE her eyes (in prequel), because doesn't want anyone to see them. To her the cover presents her will to hide from the world. She accepted the loss, but couldn't still show it to people. So when she goes to take it in ch2, it is because she wants to hide from Kaoru and her pity.
Does that explain it to you?
Author: I just reread chapter 2 and ... It was horrible! I have to apologize about all mistakes and unclear sentences. I didn't read it trough and so many, too many mistakes were left in it. I had even forgotten to write some events! (Like Misao ever going to her room... She just suddenly was there.)
I am so sorry! I have corrected those I found and uploaded the fixed version with this.
Thank you to all those who continue to read and review this! I want to apologize for the delay. I am one heck of a lazy person and my muse has been running from me for the longest time... It is annoying, really.
Chapter 3. Wipe away all fear
The street was puzzling with people and more appeared all the time. Yahiko guided Mei through the growing crowd easily and patiently. Since Mei was staying at the dojo, Yahiko had decided to stay there also for now. He wanted to be there to help her since he had quite a good idea just how little she liked having to need help even in simple matters such as shopping.
When Kaoru had thoughtlessly just said that Mei could go shopping, she had not considered just how hard it would be for her. And so without telling anyone, he went with her. She had been a little bit angry in the beginning, but she had calmed down pretty soon and now she was laughing and being like nothing had happened.
Kaoru had some training to do in a dojo at the other end of the town and Kenshin was busy with the children and housework, and so Kaoru had decided that Mei was perfect for the job. She had promised to help and work for her keep, she knew this, but shopping was hard. She could have kept an eye on the children easily without having to see, she could have made food that would be at least better than Kaoru's, she could have washed laundry, cleaned floors. There was so much she could have done. And Kaoru made her go shopping.
Misao sighed as she heard Yahiko bargain for lower price at rice store. She had learned during her travels just how stressing shopping could be. Finding the correct shop with listening to what they advertised in loud voices or by asking people was sometimes very frustrating. Also, she couldn't say if the food was still fresh by any other means than smell, feel and taste, which sometimes wasn't enough, since not many allowed her to simply take an apple and bit it to see what it tasted like. She had learned to hate shopping.
She had felt slightly annoyed when Yahiko had came with her, but had understood how much easier it would make things for her. She had no intentions of holding any grudge against him since he only wanted to help her. Without him, it would positively take her more than two hours to finish shopping and all she had to buy was a bit of rice, some fruits and tofu.
But somehow now he ended up doing everything and she felt bad about it. She could not really help him and the chore appointed to her had shifted to him and all she could do was stand and wait. She was never the one to stand still and quiet for long, she wanted and needed action in her life. For so long she had suppressed this side of herself by lying and hiding from pain. But the truth was that she was meant to act, to move and do.
It was sometimes very frustrating to live like this. Knowing fully well what it was she had lost, it wasn't much of a comfort to know she had gained something else.
She missed seeing. No matter how well she could read ki, no matter how well she heard and could shape her surroundings, she would never stop missing. Colours were what she missed the most along with seeing her friends and the people she cared for.
But a long time had already passed since she had lost her sight and she had learned not to let these thoughts devour her like they once had. She felt sad, frustrated and all that, but she didn't allow it to control her. Not any more. She would be thankful for what she had instead of always mourning that which she had lost.
Suddenly she heard a scream. It was not loud and seemed to come from far away but her sharp, trained ears caught the sound. "Thief! Stop that man!" A female voice screamed desperately. Misao shut out normal sounds and concentrated on people's steps. Some walked slower and some faster, but she was searching for the running ones.
Her searching was rewarded as heavy, fast footsteps came closer to her. Almost predatory smile rose to her lips and she stepped forward. She heard complains as the man pushed his way trough the masses with little care for others. She walked to the place he would soon reach.
She heard his steps coming closer... Closer... Soon he would reach her. He is only a meter away when she stepped from his path swiftly and then brought up her cane successfully tripping him. The man fell onto the ground with a grunt and a small purse slipped from his hold hitting the ground a silent cling. Misao smiled, stepped upon it and picked it then up.
"Not yours, is it now?" She said as the man slowly rose to his feet. He spit and drew a knife from his pocket.
"Bitch. Give that to me. Now." He said and pointed the blade at Misao. It was then that he noticed her ruined eyes and grinned. There was no way he could lose to a blind person and a woman on top of that.
"Hmmm... No. I don't think I will." Misao said and smiled at him sweetly. She could sense his ki easily and he was angry. His anger and untrained ki told her enough. The man was no one and she would have no problems defeating him. Still she would have to be cautious since there was no telling how strong or tall the man was. Or if he had a weapon. People around them muttered and pulled aside. Misao held up her cane and took a battle stance just before he launched at her.
He was faster than she had thought, but he was nowhere near fast enough. She pulled herself away from harms way and hit his back. He crawled forward unsteadily for a moment groaning in pain. "You bitch!" He muttered. Misao grinned as he turned to attack her again. "You don't learn too fast now do you?" She chuckled.
The man launched another attack with a scream and this time Misao held her ground. She dodged carefully since she had no idea if he had a weapon in his hand and hit the thief in the stomach and as he doubled over she hit his upper back. A small sound reached her ears as metal hit the ground. *So he did have a weapon.* The man groaned on the ground, but couldn't get up.
"Wasn't that an overkill? He was not worth the attention you gave him." Yahiko said and walked to Misao with two bags of rice in his hands.
"Perhaps. But I think this taught him a lesson. Besides I needed an outlet." She said smiling brightly at him. Then she turned to look behind her. She had heard light footsteps coming near and then stopping. After shifting in one place for some time, the steps came nearer again.
"I presume this belongs to you." She said smiling gently at a young woman who stopped walking immediately after Misao spoke. She was watching Misao with amazement. Misao held out the purse and the woman nodded and then added hastily. "Thank you." She bowed and took the purse holding onto it tightly.
"Don't lose it again." She said smiling sweetly. She could feel her nervousness and so turned away. She also heard a pipe being blown and could guess that a police was coming. Just in time to take the groaning man away.
She didn't really pay attention as Yahiko explained to the police what had happened. She did hear enough to know that this was not the first time those two met. She could very well guess that Yahiko had some time in the past helped the police with something. He was that kind of a person. He followed Kenshin's footsteps in this time of peace.
Whose footsteps was she following?
Where were those steps leading her?
She had come to accept the past, but her future was unsure. She didn't know what she wanted from it. The thought of returning to the Aoiya was tempting, but she had a feeling that doing so she would be running from the pain again. They would accept her, they would once again protect her and shelter her from the pain. She didn't want that. It would be the easy way out, but she knew it wouldn't be the right one for her.
She would visit them of course, but she would not return there permanently. Somewhere had to be a place for her. A place she would learn to call home. That was something she had learned on her journey. She would have to make her own home somewhere else than the Aoiya.
She followed Yahiko around the streets while he bought the rest Kaoru had asked for. Then they headed back to the dojo, Misao carrying the fruits and tofu. Yahiko seemed to sense that she wanted to be left alone with her thoughts and so he remained silent all the way back.
Misao still felt a bit unsure of her position to feel comfortable there. Kaoru was tense around her and Kenshin was bound to be a bit cautious. Yahiko was the only one that she felt comfortable with. Though she had to admit that Kenshin's presence calmed her considerably. He was always calm and composed. He understood ki and so knew what to do to keep his emotions under control.
He was the only one that truly could understand her there.
As they turned to the street where the dojo was located, Misao sighed. "I haven't been much of a company, have I?" She said with sad voice. Yahiko was surprised at her suddenly speaking and hurried to say that she was wrong. She merely smiled and returned to her thoughts.
"Mei-san." Yahiko said suddenly and stopped. Misao stopped as well and turned to him.
"Would you like to meet the others?" He asked and Misao understood immediately that he spoke of Sanosuke and Megumi.
Those two had never been her closest friends, but friends never the less. Sanosuke had had the annoying habit of calling her weasel and Megumi had always seemed somewhat distant to her. They had never really spoken. Still, they had been people she had called friends. She smiled at Yahiko.
"I am certain we will meet sooner or later." She said. "For now, why don't we walk to the dojo and tell me how things have been in here."
They continued walking and Yahiko told her how Sanosuke had returned and then followed Megumi to Aizu. They didn't really know what had happened, but he returned with Megumi and they bought the house they now lived in. Where the money came, Yahiko had no idea since Sanosuke had always been very poor.
Misao smiled all the time, ignoring the aching hope that she someday would find a place to call home like her friends had done.
Kenshin had spent the morning wondering what he should do. He no longer considered Mei to be a threat, she had dispelled that fear during the morning hours. And seeing Yahiko running after her wet from head to toe while she laughed and tried to escape had been final thing that convinced him.
What bothered him now, was the strange feeling that he got being close to her.
They had not spent many moments together except the morning, but he could not shake the feeling off. It was not the feeling of threat nor did her presence make him uncomfortable. It was something else, something he didn't quite understand.
It was that feeling that made him want to ask about her from Aoshi. The people at the Aoiya probably knew about her and he wished to understand who the woman actually was. The only thing that was stopping him was the feeling of trust. For some reason, he already now trusted her. It was not because of Yahiko, but because of her. But how could he trust a person he had just met?
He sighed and continued washing the hakama while occasionally glancing at Kenji and Taisuke. Kenji was keeping his brother company and at the moment they were throwing a ball back and fort between them. Yuriko on the other hand was sleeping on the ground on a blanket.
"We are back."
Kenshin raised his head a little as he heard Yahiko's voice. So he had went with Mei as he had suspected. Mei had not looked very happy when Kaoru had asked her to go shopping. Kenshin had thought about it and he soon understood why. He was glad that Yahiko had understood it and left after her.
He quickly washed off the last stains and then hung up the laundry. Kenji and Taisuke had already left to meet with Yahiko, but Yuriko was still deep asleep. Kenshin pondered whether he should wake her or not. He was slowly trying to learn not to worry too much, but he knew that there still might be people after him and in that case they would also be after his children. Still, she looked so peaceful in her sleep that he didn't want to wake her.
"Himura-san?"
His problem was solved when Mei walked to his direction, her cane sweeping the ground as she walked. It hit the ball Kenji and Taisuke had been playing with and she immediately stopped.
"Don't worry. It is just a ball." Kenshin said immediately to dispel her worry. She nodded and continued walking to him.
"Is there something I can help with? Yahiko is putting the things away since he knows where they belong." She said and stopped close to him. Kenshin looked at her and saw nothing that would make him feel this strange trust and closeness.
"You can watch Yuriko-chan while I start a fire for the bath." He said and Mei nodded. There was a gentle smile on her face as she spoke. "You would trust me to do that?"
Kenshin was actually surprised, because she really seemed happy and a little bit surprised. He smiled. "Yes."
She smiled at him and there was nothing sinister in that smile. "Would you mind pointing her for me? She keeps very little noise."
Kenshin nodded and walked to the little girl with Mei following him closely. She sat close to Yuriko and Kenshin walked to the bath feeling a lot better leaving Yuriko under Mei's watchful eye. It was strange that he would trust his daughter into the hands of a woman he had only met yesterday.
This troubled him so, too much. He trusted her and then doubted that feeling. Perhaps it would be for the best if he would send a message to Aoshi asking about her. But that could wait. Kaoru would be home in about an hour and she would want to bathe as soon as she arrived.
He was blowing the fire to burn brighter when Yahiko came to him. He didn't say anything, but seemed satisfied to merely stand there waiting for him to finish. When the fire was burning merrily Kenshin turned his attention on Yahiko. He looked a little nervous about something.
"What is it?" Kenshin asked carefully and saw Yahiko look even more nervous. Then he spoke suddenly as if he was afraid that if he didn't say it now, he wouldn't say it at all.
"I want you to send a message to the Aoiya to tell that Mei-san is here." He blurted out and it wasn't anything Kenshin had been expecting. He blinked. "Why?" He asked before he realised that Yahiko might not want to tell him that much if he was nervous about merely asking him to favour. And he was correct. Yahiko froze and seemed to grown restless and even a little alerted. There was obviously something he didn't want to tell them about Mei.
"Please, would you just send the message?" He asked and shifted from one foot to another. Kenshin nodded and Yahiko bowed. "Thank you." He said and left in a hurry leaving Kenshin to wonder what all that was about.
Yahiko walked away quickly, but he knew he couldn't run from the guilty feeling he kept having. Misao may not want to meet them, but he just had to tell them that she was all right. Or more precisely he had to tell Aoshi. He had come to the conclusion that he cared for her and as such he simply couldn't keep him in darkness. But still working behind Misao's back like this didn't make him feel good at all. It sickened him, but not telling Aoshi would make him feel bad as well. Of course Misao was closer to him and as such he would do as she wished. But she had not said not to tell them. It was a weak excuse but it made him feel a little bit better.
He walked to the place he had seen her last and there she was sitting next to Yuriko and she was smiling. She looked so calm and happy that he found himself smiling with her. She deserved happiness after all she had went through. Even before she had lost her eyes, her life had not been easy. She had always been so happy and cheerful that he often forgot all the pain she had had to go through. He had never realized her strength before now. Thinking about her search for Aoshi, his betrayal and Kaoru's supposed death he found that he had never realized just how amazing she was. Only after meeting Takahashi Mei he had realized the person Misao was and the inner power she had.
He didn't know how he just stared at her filled with new awe and a new powerful realization. He loved her very dearly.
He had been alone for a long time before Kaoru and Kenshin had taken him in. They had helped him and were his dear friends just like Sanosuke. They had been a part of his life for a long time and he loved them all. But Misao had always been different. She had simply appeared in their lives at Kyoto. She and Kaoru had always been better friends than he and Misao. It wasn't until with the event involving Enishi that he had really gotten to know her and had found that she was much like himself. He remembered how they had run around Tokyo searching for clues. They had been friends, but not in any way particularly good ones.
As he looked at her now he realized that it wasn't until he had met her at the Aoiya that they had started to become closer friends and it wasn't until now that he realised that he loved her. In a short time she had became one of the people he could really count on.
She turned her head to him and her smile was still as beautiful as ever. The sight of her eyes didn't affect him in the least anymore and he walked to her sitting next to her. They sat there quietly both merely enjoying each other's presence. The sun was warm and the sounds of the town were distant. The first thing to disturb the silence was the arrival of Kaoru as she banged the gate's door loudly shut behind her.
Yahiko opened his eyes and turned his eyes towards the sound with a sigh. "Kaoru is home." He said and Misao nodded. "So it seems." She said lazily. "Why don't you go and tell her that the shopping is done?"
Yahiko snorted. "Such information is meaningless to her since Kenshin is the one that cooks." He yawned. The sun and the rest had left him quite lazy and tired. "If you want to tell her, you can go yourself."
Now it was Misao who snorted. "Yeah, right. And feel her pity again? No thank you. I'll pass." She too was sitting there quite comfortably and had no wishes to stand up anytime soon.
"She pities you? I didn't know that." Yahiko said.
Misao nodded. "Pretty much everyone does when they first see my face. You were mostly sad and later angry, but I did feel a little bit pity from you too in the beginning. Kaoru-san was sad and horrified. Later every time I see her she pities me." There was sadness in her voice and Yahiko understood it completely.
"What about Kenshin?" He asked and Misao's lips turned into a smile. As she turned to him she was smiling brightly. "None. He doesn't feel pity or horror. There was a little bit of sadness, but it was only a fleeting feeling." She turned her head back to the sun. "It made me feel real good." She whispered.
Because they didn't have anything more to say, they returned to the comfortable silence they had already enjoyed before. It didn't last as long as the previous though. Kenshin came to them after a while to invite them to eat the dinner. Yahiko sighed and stood up. Misao was already standing and looking for her cane with her hands.
"A little bit to the left." Yahiko said and Misao nodded. Soon she had the cane in her hand and they walked together to the kitchen while Kenshin remained behind to wake up Yuriko.
Yahiko watched as Misao walked the cane swinging securing to path. "Is that hard?" Yahiko asked and Misao shook her head. "Not really after you get used to it. At first it was a little tricky. Want to try?" She asked with a smile and Yahiko took the cane. He moved it before him testing and then closed his eyes. He swept the cane over the ground and took a step. It felt almost scary. Another step and he grew nervous. What if there was a sudden hole? He didn't remember there being anything like it, but he wasn't sure he remembered correctly. He swept over the ground again, this time making sure that there weren't any holes and took another step.
Misao laughed merrily. "If we continue at this pace we won't reach the kitchen before the nightfall."
Yahiko found himself smiling and he opened his eyes. "True, so perhaps it is better that we try this again sometime when we are not expected." He walked to Misao and gave the cane into her hand. She gave him a smile and started walking the cane swinging before her easily. She wasn't walking very fast, but Yahiko knew that compared to the speed he had walked, this was like running. Then he remembered seeing Misao running just this morning and it wasn't until now that he understood just how risky it had been. She could have tripped at any instant.
They reached the kitchen and Yahiko saw Kenshin, Kaoru and the children already there. Kaoru's hair was still wet from the bath and she was holding still sleepy Yuriko in her arms. Kenji and Taisuke were already sitting at the table and both were watching them as they entered. Kenji was wearing a frown on his face as he saw Misao, but as Yahiko gave him a hard look he looked away.
"Hi again." Kaoru said to Misao and Yahiko noticed the flashing look of sadness in her eyes and understood what Misao had been talking about earlier. Now she only nodded at Kaoru's direction and sat down. Yahiko did the same and waited silently for Kenshin to bring out the food. He was getting hungry already.
The usually lively and loud table was uncharacteristically quiet and Yahiko knew that it was because of Misao. The only ones to act normal were Yuriko and Kenshin, but they were never the ones to make the table lively. Pretty much everyone ate in silence and Yahiko found it disturbing, because he knew that Misao would sense it and know that it was her fault. He didn't want her to be hurt because of it.
Kaoru seemed to grow tired of the silence and broke it. Her words sounded strange as they suddenly sounded in the room, but Yahiko was glad that at least someone would say something. "I met Sanosuke today." She turned to Misao. "He is one of our friends. Anyways I told him about you and he wanted to come over."
Yahiko smiled as he remembered how Misao had only few hours earlier said that she was bound meet them sooner or later.
"I told him to come in the evening, because I wanted to make sure that you are alright with it. He will most probably bring his wife along." Kaoru continued and Misao nodded with a slight smile. "It is fine. You don't have to ask me if your friends want to come for a visit."
Kaoru shook her head. "That is not why I asked. I asked because they want to meet you and that required your acceptance." She was looking at Misao expectantly and Misao nodded again. "As I said, I am fine with it."
Kaoru smiled. "Good. They are here probably after few hours."
End of chapter 3.
Author:
Thank you to all those who have reviewed and my sincere apologies to all those who have been waiting for me to continue.
Also before people start to wonder why Kenshin/Yahiko is so eager to contact Aoshi, well they had to be. I had no other way of getting Aoshi to Tokyo. *sweatdrop*
This is a direct
Answers to reviews for chapter 2:
Thank you for reviews to JadeGoddess, Midori Natari Himura, Crystal Snowflakes, me me me and only me, rin, Scoundrel Mynx, Sai, Mariana-chan, gwen, KasumiDestruction, SilverNimbus, Dragowolf (thank you for 2 reviews), x wolfpup x, Cat H, CbN (thank you for the longest and absolutely the best review I have ever gotten), Kyoko.Kai, Ranya, furin, colourful_dreams, Wendy, ^_^, SoT'n'Kenshin, why do u care, Sachairi and Carrie the Open Minded.
Trixie Tang: Yahiko does not have a kunai. It was one of my numerous misspelling and has now been fixed. Thank for letting me know! And the way the children reacted to her is indeed sad, but I can see them doing something like that.
blue eyes: Sano and Megumi ch4. Aoshi about ch6. Okina not in this fic I think. He at least isn't going to come to Tokyo and I am not sure if they return to Kyoto during this fic. Perhaps in an epilogue or something.
Kmye: No, no! Yahiko and Misao are good friends but there is nothing romantic between them. Misao loves Aoshi as stated in World without an Image.
Dark Phoenix: You had many questions so here are the answers.
First, Misao has a good(?) fashion sense and she doesn't wear rugs. My mistake.
Then the eyecover thing.
Misao wears it to HIDE her eyes (in prequel), because doesn't want anyone to see them. To her the cover presents her will to hide from the world. She accepted the loss, but couldn't still show it to people. So when she goes to take it in ch2, it is because she wants to hide from Kaoru and her pity.
Does that explain it to you?