An: Inspired by Pirates of the Caribbean 2. Think you'll guess why if you've seen it. One shot.

She sat in the rain un moving. She stared at the ground, rain drops dripping down her face, her coiffed locks ruined and drenched. It would rain today. It was fitting. The other had long since abandoned the grove. The service had been held early in the morning. It had been grey all day. He would've liked that. Misao closed her eyes and let the rain fall down her face. She could hear the thunder crackle and brew in the sky. We understand each other, the lightning and I, we're both flickering out. These past months had passed her in a blur. How could he? Why? Why would he be so cruel as to leave her like this?

She fought the tears but couldn't hold back the sobs that wracked her chest.

"WHY?" She screamed to the sky. The thunder answered her cry with it's own as the sky lit up.

"Why…" She murmured falling back to her knees and weeping. Then she felt him there. Kunai in her hands, she rose to her feet and turned crouching.

"Why are you here? You weren't invited!" Misao said, glaring as she held her kunai steady.

Saitou stared at her. She was a mess. Her kimono which would've been lovely, was drenched, ruined by the mud she'd been sitting in for who knew how long. The yards of silk seemed to fall off of her with the weight of the water. The only thing keeping her decent was the tightly sinched obi. She wiped her nose on the wet material, still unmoving from her defensive position.

"The service is long since past. This isn't private property" Saitou told her, tipping his police hat.

"My condolences" He told her softly, walking towards her.

"I don't want you here! He doesn't either!" Misao told him pointing to the tombstone. Her eyes were wild and crazed, green lost within the depths of sea blue. Saitou's heart clenched, remembering his own pain and resolved in his course of action.

Here lies Shinomori Aoshi.

A man of few words. He loved well and loved much.

He will be missed..

"He isn't here, Misao. I think you know that" Saitou told her simply. He was about 4 yards away from her.

"Damn you! DAMN YOU SAITOU!" Misao cried, with another sob. She launched the few kunai she had left and he dodged easily.

"He's here!" She cried holding her chest. " And here!" She pointed to the ground "Can't you see? He's taken my heart with him!" She sobbed, tripping in the mud over the yards of silk, falling to the ground. She sobbed, her cries so pitiful it made him wince.

"Will you let him take you to the grave too?" Saitou stood over her, looking down. His tall form and his hat shielded her from the rain and wind that was starting to blow. She shivered in the cold.

"Will you let him take you down too?" Saitou asked her again.

"You don't KNOW!" Misao cried rising to her feet. She stood resolute facing the wolf. I'm not afraid of you she said silently, staring him down.

"Don't know what Itachi?" Saitou asked with a smirk.

"You could NEVER KNOW!" Misao cried launching into a series of punches. Saitou dodged and weaved giving way as she paved it with her fury.

"You still have yet to explain yourself Itachi" Saitou pushed, easily dodging her punches.

"He wasted AWAY Saitou! I thought he would get better after our marriage…he was so happy for a while…" Misao cried, trembling as she paused in her attacks to catch her breath.

"He was weak." Saitou told her. The green lit in her eyes and soon became a raging fire of jade. She jump kicked into the air, intent on his head.

"Keichiro KICK!" She cried. He dodged her kick and braced himself for the next. He blocked her with his arms crossed, protecting his face. She hit the ground and rounded on him again snarling her rage. He gave her further room as she attempted to round house him in the face. Another block.

"I didn't say that to be cruel! Ahg" Saitou cried as she kicked his shin. "That was cheap" He told her, glaring.

"The hell you didn't!" She cried trying to slash his face with her kunai. Saitou ducked and gave her further room.

"He'd lost so much weight Itachi. He gambled his health with all of his meditating. He ate little if anything. There was nothing you could do for him. Even after you were married, his health was shattered by his own self punishment and loathing." Saitou told her, continuing to avoid her barrage of attacks.

"We could've done more. In America the doctors-" Misao protested.

"Are no more advanced than our own. They're dealing with their own problems. Besides you couldn't have afforded any foreign doctors. Nor would they have made it here in enough time. Stop blaming yourself!"

" You don't know that!" Misao cried.

" You sent for the best doctors in all of japan. Megumi and the other doctors you hired scoured through every book availible, they searched the entire Oniwaban library on herbs and medicine lore even attempting to find the herbs of legend. Your entire operation bent over backwards to try and save him. You spared no expense for him." Saitou told her.

"If we had done everything we could then he shouldn't have DIED!" Misao cried.

"He couldn't help that. Neither can you. Whose to question the gods and their ways?"

"No! I can't! I can't let him go!" Misao sobbed form trembled again and she went down to one knee gasping from the sobs choking her.

"You know he fought it off for months. She didn't even last that long" Saitou told her.

Misao looked up. It was a well known fact that the wolf was alone, his wife having died from a high and dangerous fever. It had come quickly and left in Tokyo, taking her with it. He'd left his house and moved to Kyoto, a means to escape. Misao stared in wonder and sorrow.

"It felt like a piece of my soul had been ripped from me. She was frail to begin with. But I loved her with everything I had. I don't regret that. I'm still waiting for the other half of my soul." Saitou said, eyes distant as they watched the thunder clash. His eyes mesmerized Misao. They held such conflicted emotion in their stormy amber depths. They were breath taking in the storm.

"But I wouldn't let her take me to the grave. She wouldn't have wanted it." Saitou said, fixing those golden eyes upon her. His eyes held such strength.

She stared in wonder at him. The rain wasn't pouring so hard now. The wind had died down a bit. She tucked a drenched strand behind her ear.

"He wouldn't have wanted it either." Saitou told her, giving her a small rare smile. It lit up his entire face, softening the lines of hate and disdain that seemed so etched upon the face of Mibu.

"I don't know how to go on from here" Misao confessed, staring at her small hands. She still trembled.

"You are the Okashira. They" Saitou pointed to the Aoiya. "Rely on you. Clans are made and broken by the strength of their Okashira. I know you. You won't let them down" He told her,

"I don't know how to be strong Saitou! It was always an act or a farce. I don't think I'll ever be strong enough." Misao shivered again. Saitou took off his jacket and placed it around her shoulders.

"Courage doesn't mean you aren't afraid. It means you do what's necessary through it." Saitou said, bending down to look her eye to eye. He gripped her shoulder firmly.

"Others need you. He can wait" Saitou told her, golden eyes glowing. His look made her flush uncomfortably, heat rising to her cheeks. Saitou got to his feet, coughed a little bit.

"You're going to catch a cold out here. Go inside. Drink something warm. And laugh with your family." Saitou told her, helping her to her feet. He walked out of the grove, tipping his hat to Aoshi, and the others they had lost so long ago.

"Saitou!" Misao cried. Saitou paused, and lit up a cigarette.

"Hm?" He replied, taking a drag.

"Thank you." Misao whispered softly, bowing, tears running down her cheek.

"Mmm" Saitou replied, fading from her teary view.