Red Colored Invitation

Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin and it's characters

Warning: Some amount of OOCness and a huge amount of lemon contained.

Settings: Showa period. Misao, 18 years old. Aoshi, 28 years old.

Author's note: It's my first fic for Rurouni Kenshin and it's dedicated to those supporters of Aoshi & Misao.

"Misao, you're not allowed to see the groom before the ceremony. It's a bad luck!"

Yahiko pulled the right sleeve of Misao's wedding kimono.

"That is what Western people believe and you know that none of us are Westerners"

Misao shook away Yahiko's hand and place her hand on the shoji door.

"Aoshi sama, are you finished?" she asked cheerfully as she slid open the door.

"Misao!, how many times should I tell you to knock first before entering someone's room?" Okina glared at her.

"Oh!, I'm sorry jiiya. I was just too nervous to even think clearly" she let out a strange laugh.

"Stop laughing, Misao. You really sound like those hyenas" Yahiko warned.

Misao was about to throw some kunais at the samurai boy when her eyes caught the scenery of Aoshi dressed in black kimono. His hair was neatly combed and his toned body really fits the kimono. She could feel both of her cheeks roasted.

"We shall proceed to the hall" Aoshi announced as he walked to the exit door.

Misao nodded and followed his back. She found it hard to walk with her wedding kimono since it weighs about more than five kilograms in total due to its enormous number of layers. Some tired pants escaped her lips as she followed the groom. To her surprise, Aoshi stopped walking and stretched out his left hand.

"Aoshi sama" she muttered.

"You'll trip over your own feet if you walk like that. Take my hand" he commanded her.

She smiled at him and shyly placed her right hand inside his left hand before they continued walking to the hall. Misao didn't notice that Aoshi was secretly gazing at her face. He could feel his cheeks heated up while he admired her beauty. Her royal blue hair were neatly set up and covered with a triangle shape white color head cover. Her lips were painted in cherry red color lipsticks and he was desperate to fight his male hormone that kept pressing him to ravish those lustful lips of her.

As the ceremony began the couple drank sake from the same cup three times. When the Buddhist monk was looking away, Misao pantomimed a throwing up face to describe how she hates the taste of sake and she was welcomed with Okina's scariest death glare of the century. On the other hand, Aoshi who also hates sake managed to keep his infamous poker face.

"Congratulations, Misao chan. I knew from the beginning that you will be a beautiful bride" Kaoru said cheerfully after the ceremony.

"Thank you, Kaoru san. I wouldn't have made it this far without your support" Misao replied while secretly gazing at the tall and tanned skin man sitting beside her.

"You are a lucky man to have such a beautiful bride, Aoshi" Kenshin who sat across Kaoru added.

"Yes, indeed" Aoshi answered firmly as his lips formed a smile.

The happy couple started dating two years ago and Misao was the one who made the first move by confessing her love after she was pushed by people around her who lost their patience on her slow ass. To everyone's surprise the man of too few words, Shinomori Aoshi proposed Misao at the nearest park right after they visited the local summer festival the previous year.

Misao has turned 18 while Aoshi has turned 28 at the wedding day. As orphans whose parents were killed during the civil war, they were raised by Okina together with Kenshin, Sanosuke and Yahiko in the orphanage house. Kenshin was the first who leave the orphanage house when he got married with Kaoru, a daughter of the famous Kamiya Kashin Dojo leader. Sanosuke was the second one who left the house when he got married with a female doctor from Aichi Prefecture, Megumi Takani.

Aoshi & Misao's wedding ceremony was held in the orphanage house since it was huge enough to welcome the guests. Seijuro Hiko was gulping a huge bottle of sake while talking about serious things with Hajime Saito. Tsubame and the other female members of Aoiya were giggling over their girls talk. Everyone was happy for the couple.

"My angel looks extremely beautiful in her wedding kimono. If your parents were still alive I have no doubt that they'll be happy" Okina praised his beloved angel before he gave her an arm crushing bear hug.

"Thank…you….Jiiya…." Misao responded while choking.

"Okina, please don't kill my wife in front of the guests of honor" Aoshi claimed as he freed Misao from the old man's back crushing hug.

"Thank you, Aoshi sama" Misao said while blushing like crazy at her knight in the shining armor.

"I wonder why are you still calling Aoshi san with the honorific form?" Kaoru raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I just like to call him in that form" Misao concluded with a smile.

She has been calling Aoshi in the same form since she was a little that she felt like calling a different person when she tried to call him only with his first name.

"Kenji!, give me back my wallet!" Yahiko screamed at the five years old little Himura.

"Not until you promise that you'll buy me a new toy for my birthday next month"

Kenji poked his tongue out.

"Kaoru!, bring your ass here and drag this brat of yours away from me!" Yahiko spoke out.

"Don't talk like that to my mom!" Kenji yelled back at his opponent.

"Behave yourself, boys!. We're having a wedding party here"

Megumi placed a hand on her waist as she glared at the boys.

"Weasel girl, you are so lucky that Okina allowed you to use the vacant VIP room upstairs so you don't have to rent a house. I was kicked out right after I married Megumi" Sanosuke said while ducking some flying kunais.

"How many times should I warn you not to call me with that nickname?" Misao took more kunais from behind her kimono.

"I wouldn't have kicked you out of the house if you weren't neglecting the house chores, Sanosuke"

Okina glared at the spiky young guy in front of him.

Suddenly the door chime rang.

"I'll get it" Misao rose up from her seat and rushed to the front door.

She froze for a moment when she saw a young man dressed in a military uniform carrying a medium size postman bag smiled at her. She immediately bowed politely.

"My name is Soujiro Seta from the land service, I'd like to meet Mr. Aoshi Shinomori" he said firmly.

"Please come in" Misao replied plainly as she led the man inside the house.

All the guests lost their words when they saw the military man walked in.

"Mr. Aoshi Shinomori" the man called.

"Yes?" Aoshi said as he rose up from his seat and walked closer.

"Congratulations!. You have been selected as the participant who will serve in military for the sake of this country. You will have to depart tomorrow morning at seven from the nearest train station"

The man pulled out a red paper from his bag and handed it to Aoshi.

"Thank you very much. It is a great honor for me to serve a duty to my country"

Aoshi bowed deeply before he took the paper with both hands.

Misao could feel tears welled up in her eyes when she saw the red paper since she knew that the paper was well known as the invitation to death.

Aoshi let out a heavy sigh as he dried his hair with a huge bath towel. He found it so hard to believe that he only has one single night to spend with his wife and it might be the last night they could spend together. He placed his towel at the towel hanger and glanced at the cherry blossom tree through the window. He must admit that he loves spring since glancing at some full bloom cherry blossoms always calm his mind.

Aoshi saw his huge backpack placed neatly near the entrance door and took a deep breath before he left the place. He stopped for a while in front of the main bedroom then slowly slid the door opened with his left hand. To his surprise he saw one queen size futon neatly set. Moreover, his wife who was dressed in a see-through yukata with her shoulder length hair loosened was kneeling down beside it. She was staring at him with a glassy eyes.

"Misao, what do you think you're doing?" his eyes widened in shock.

"I've been waiting for you so that we can spend a sleepless night together" she responded seriously.

Aoshi lost his words and he could feel his cheeks heated when his eyes caught some private parts of her body through the transparent piece of cloth she was wearing.

Misao bit her lower lip before she moved closer and buried her face in his broad and muscular chest.

"Aoshi sama, please don't go" she pleaded weakly.

"It's against the law to disobey the military mission, Misao"

He caressed her blue locks gently.

"But, we're just married for a day. I don't want you to…"

Her words faded away as several drops of tears fell on both of her cheeks when the thought of losing him crossed her mind.

He has never seen her crying like that before. They have been raised together since they were a little and he knew it better than anyone else that Misao is an extremely strong girl. He recalled the five years old little Misao who didn't shed any tears when she had a broken rib caused by falling from the roof during her Kenpo practice while other children of her age would have cried their lungs out in the same situation.

Moreover, knowing the fact that he was the cause of her recent tears tore his heart into pieces. He wasn't good at dealing with crying people including kids. After all it has been Kenshin's field of expertise for years since he was the eldest boy in the orphanage house.

"I will come back alive"

Those words were his best effort though he was sure enough that they won't console her at all.

"Promise me" she murmured between her sobs.

"I promise"

He shed her endlessly falling tears with his fingers before locking her lips fully with his. She circled her arms behind his neck to deepen the kiss. He nibbled at her lower lip to ask for an entrance and she allowed him. He slipped his tongue inside and started to explore the pink muscle inside her mouth.

It was a long kiss as if they were checking each other's body temperature. They were forced to end the kiss when their bodies performed the emergency alert to get some fresh air.

"Misao, are you certain about this?" he asked anxiously while both of his hands grabbing her shoulders.

"I'm yours from the beginning 'til the end, Aoshi sama"

She blushed to her own words.

-Lemon starts from here-

He smiled at her before he sealed her lips for the second time that day. Then he started to butterfly kissed her jaw and her neck. He took off her yukata belt and slid the piece of cloth down her shoulder revealing her bare skin below.

He was amazed by what he saw. Her skin was pearl white and there was no single bruise on it. She hastily covered her well-developed breasts with both hands in embarrassment when she noticed his gaze on her naked body.

"You don't have to be shy"

He gently moved her hands away.

"But, mine is not as big as Kaoru's" she replied sadly.

"I don't care about the size" Aoshi stated confidently.

He locked her hands above her head before once again started to admire her naked body from head to toe. Everyone was right about her being a late bloomer.

He kissed the right side of her neck before moving South to reach her breast. She let out a wanton moan when he sucked her right breast. His free hand started massaging the other one causing her to produce a helpless whimper. She could feel dampness in her most private area when he gave her left breast the same treatment.

He sat up and started to remove his own clothing. She shuddered when her eyes caught the sight of his large manhood and immediately averted her gaze.

He spread her legs so that he could take a better look of her inside before placing his head in front of her entrance. He used both thumbs to open the front gate of her cavern and slipped his tongue inside.

She arched her back in pleasure as a large moan escaped her lips. Some amount of her womanhood juice spurted out. He showed a smile of satisfaction before inserting one digit into her and moved it back and forth. She circled his head with her hands while clumsily tried her best to adjust the movement of her hip to match his finger's rhythm. He added one more digit causing her to yell out his name in pleasure.

"Aoshi sama…." she called between her harsh breaths when she saw him placing his manhood in front of her entrance.

"Are you ready, Misao?" he asked.

After a moment that seemed like forever she nodded and closed her eyes.

He slid inside her in one swift and broke her barrier. She let out a painful cry as some crystal liquids slipped out from her swollen eyes. He kissed away her tears and regretted that there was no other less painful way for them to consume love.

"I'm sorry" he said while brushing her bangs.

"It's not your fault, Aoshi sama" she smiled as she cupped his left cheek with her left hand.

He waited for her to adjust to his size then he started to move his hip back and forth continously. She whimpered while digging her nails on his back.

"Aoshi sama... I feel...a strange... pressure... below" she muttered in panic.

"You can let go of it, Misao. You'll feel better" he whispered to her ear with a husky voice.

He knew that she was close when he felt her walls tightening on him.

"Aoshi sama...aaaaaahhhh!" she screamed out in pleasure.

Finally she reached her peak and in less than a minute he followed her as he drained all of his seed deep inside her. Both of them panted as they fell limply with their back first on the futons.

-Lemon ended here-

"I love you, Misao and I always will" he said firmly as he cupped her face with both hands.

"I love you too, Aoshi sama. More than you ever know" she replied happily while leaning toward his naked chest to feel his warmth through her bare skin.

It hurt her so bad when the fact that she might not be able to experience it again crossed her mind. He tilted her chin up and kissed her chastely before falling asleep beside her. She caressed his raven locks and stared at his sleeping face. His long and thick eyelashes, high bridge nose, thin lips. Every part of his body is so dearly to her. She cursed the war before joining him in a deep slumber.

It was still dark outside when he was awake by her sudden movement. She was shaking badly and choking.

"Misao" he called her.

"Aoshi…sama…I can't… breathe…" she uttered as tears fell to her cheeks.

He drew her chin closer and gave her artificial respiration to help her breathing. After a while she started to breathe properly. Unfortunately, she was still shaking due to the high fever caused by heavy stress. He touched her forehead but soon retreated when he noticed her body temperature.

"Misao, I'm so sorry"

He hugged her after he said his apology. She replied with some hard and painful sobs as they spent the night together sleepless.

"Uncle Aoshi, please be careful" Kenji said as he waved a tiny national flag.

"I will" Aoshi smiled at the little boy.

"Aoshi, you don't have to worry about Misao. We'll take care of her" Kenshin added.

"Thank you, Himura" the tall man bowed politely.

"Misao chan, say something would you?. You've been too quiet since we left the house"

Kaoru elbowed the younger girl on the waist.

Misao nodded and walked toward her husband who was wearing a military outfit. She took out a white envelope and handed it to him.

"I will be waiting for you, Aoshi sama" she said as she stared at his ice blue eyes with her glassy eyes.

He stared at her from head to toe for a while as he seared her figure in his mind. Her eyes looked tired and there were two dark circles below them. Her nose was red and so were both of her cheeks since she had been crying during their walk to the station. Moreover, she was still shivering from her high fever that she looked like she was going to faint in no time.

He leaned forward and embraced her with trembling hands. No words were exchanged between them since they believed that their hearts have communicated with each other in some sort of telepathy. Misao felt an enormous pain struck her chest causing her difficulty to breathe when she felt his warmth faded from her.

"Alright, I've seen enough lovey-dovey attitudes today, young man. Now get on the train quickly before I lost my temper" a middle age army pulled Aoshi on the arm and pushed him forcefully inside the train.

The train was fully loaded and the passengers were desperate to get the window seat so they can bid farewell to their friends and relatives.

"Aoshi sama!"

He could hear her yelling out his name desperately even though her voice was interrupted by other people's voices calling the names of their beloved ones. Aoshi immediately seek for the nearest window seat and found an unoccupied one just across him. He poked out his head from the window and his eyes caught Misao chasing his train from the platform while waving the tiny national flag.

"Misao!, I'll return to you even from death!" he screamed back at her.

"No!. I need you alive, Aoshi sama!" she yelled her lungs out while running.

Unfortunately, she tripped over her own feet and fell to the hard ground on her knees. Some painful sobs that was loud enough to be heard by people around her escaped her mouth.

Everyone who knows Misao understood that as a master of several martial arts she has never cried in public since she thought of it as a disgraceful attitude for a true warrior. However, no one dared to laugh at her current state when they saw the poor girl cried brokenheartedly over the love of her life as if tomorrow never comes.

Meanwhile, Aoshi sat down on the train's hard seat and stared blankly at the outside scenery. He opened the white enveloped Misao has given him and pulled out the contents. It was a black and white picture of him and Misao during the local summer festival taken the previous year. He flipped the picture backward and found her handwriting message.

Dear my beloved Aoshi sama,

May you return home alive.

Always yours,

Misao

Some drops of tears fell onto the handwriting causing the ink to blur. He couldn't recall when was the last time he cried. There wasn't any sob that came out from his mouth. It seemed so long ago that he totally forgot how it feels to have some amount of warm liquids moistening both of his cheeks as he mourned over his faith.

Three months later

"Thank you for the Tofu, Tsubame chan" Kaoru smiled happily to the young and cheerful waitress of Akabeko.

"No problem, Kaoru san. We still have plenty here" Tsubame replied as she pointed a huge bucket full of tofu behind her.

"If you don't mind, I'd be happy to exchange them with some vegetables next time" Kaoru added.

"Sure, Kaoru san. Everyone here loves the vegetables from your house" Tsubame smiled.

"I'm glad to hear that. Let's go home, Misao chan" Kaoru tapped Misao's shoulder.

Misao nodded before they walked along the shopping street in silence.

It was Misao who broke the silence with her question.

"Kaoru san, what do you think of war?"

"Well, I have no idea. What about you?" Kaoru scratched her head.

"I think it's stupid as it is a great exploitation on human live" Misao played with her braided blue locks.

"You have the point" Kaoru frowned.

"Did you remember what the army boy said at the ceremony?"

"He said congratulations for being selected as country's representative"

"Yeah, congratulations my royal ass. I don't think it's the proper words to be said after giving someone a one way ticket to death!"

Misao stepped angrily at a brick causing it to shatter into pieces.

"Misao chan, you shouldn't say…" Kaoru hasn't finished her words when two men dressed in military uniform came toward them.

One of them slapped Misao on her right cheek.

"Watch your words, missy!" said the gorilla-like army as he glared at her.

"Misao chan!" Kaoru screamed in panic when she saw blood emerged from the corner of her lips.

"That's her reward for sneering at the nation" he continued.

"To the deepest hell shall those who started and support the war go because they smell just like a rotten egg!" Misao spat to the ground.

"Why you…." the army was going to hit his opponent for the second time that day when Kaoru blocked him.

"Please forgive her, Sir" Kaoru pleaded as she kneeled down.

"Remember that there will be no second chances for the two of you"

The army threw his cigarettes bud to the ground and stepped hard on it before he left the spot. Kaoru bowed politely before she dragged the extremely cranky Misao home.

Misao took the tofu from Kaoru's hands and put them at the kitchen table. She was about to cut them with kitchen knife when she felt nauseous. Misao covered her mouth and ran to the backyard throwing up everything she ate in the morning.

"Oh my God!. Are you okay, Misao chan?" Kaoru asked as she rubbed her back.

"It's only a cold, Kaoru san" she replied promptly.

"I'll call Megumi san right away so why don't you lie down for a while at your bed" Kaoru pushed the blue haired girl to her bed room.

Some hours later

"She's fine" Megumi concluded after she examined Misao's body.

"I told you it was only a cold. Kaoru just worries too much" Misao chuckled.

"You can't fool me, Misao. I'm a doctor" Megumi gave her patient a cold stare.

"What do you mean, Megumi san?" Kaoru asked nervously.

"She's pregnant" the female doctor confirmed.

"What?" Yahiko who just came back from kendo practice and accidentally heard the conversation yelled as he dropped his wooden sword.

"No kidding!" Kenji who was folding paper cranes nearby immediately left his work and rushed to the crowd.

"Three months" Misao reported flatly.

"What are you thinking of not telling us?" Kaoru let out a heavy sigh.

"I just didn't have enough courage to tell you all" Misao bit her lower lip.

"Anyway, you should eat something. You haven't had lunch yet, have you?" Kaoru placed a tray with a bowl of rice, a cup of miso soup and some pickles on it in front of the blue haired girl.

"I don't feel like eating anything right now" Misao averted her gaze away from the food.

"You have to. It's for the baby" Kaoru insisted.

"Why do you expect me to eat when Aoshi sama might be starving to death at the battle field?" Misao raged.

She was answered right away with a hard slap on her cheek by Megumi.

"Megumi!, what the…"

Yahiko managed to cover Kenji's eyes with both hands preventing the poor boy from witnessing the act of violence in such an early age.

"Stop fooling around, Misao. If you think that you're the only one who waits for your beloved husband to return back alive then you're making a huge mistake" Megumi explained in angrily.

Misao fell in silence as she placed a hand on her bruised cheek.

"You should not give up too easily on your husband, Misao" Kenshin who came all of sudden walked into the room and handed her an envelope.

Misao's eyes widened in surprise when she read the sender name. Hastily she opened the envelope and took out the letter inside.

Dear my beloved Misao

I hope you're doing just fine. I've read your letter and was extremely happy to know that a new member of our family will come several months later. I was placed in military unit that resided in a country in South East Asia. I haven't eaten properly these days but I promise you that I'll come home alive no matter what so please wait for me.

Love,

Aoshi

"Aoshi sama…." Misao noticed her vision blurred by tears.

Slowly she took her chopsticks and started to eat her meal in tears.

Some months later

Misao sighed after she placed the empty laundry basket to its proper place. Last week the emperor announced at the radio that Japan has surrendered. However, Aoshi has not come back home yet. Misao was about to take the shopping basket and proceed to the exit door when she felt the baby inside her stomach kicking like crazy. She was forced to sit down on the threshold.

"Mommy loves you darling but she needs to go shopping now so would you please calm down a little?" Misao caressed her big tummy.

After a while the baby started to calm down and Misao rose from her seat. To her surprise the front door was suddenly opened and she saw a tall man dressed neatly in grey kimono walked in.

"Aoshi…sama…"

Misao blinked several times to make sure that she wasn't seeing a ghost.

"I'm home, Misao" he said.

Misao didn't give any reply as she started to examine him from head to toe.

"I arrived in Kyoto two days ago and it was late at night so I went to spend a night at Saito's place. I was provided with a new kimono" he gave the answer to her silent question.

"Welcome home, Aoshi sama" Misao walked closer and was about to hug him when she realized that she couldn't do that in her current state.

Aoshi turned her around so that her back was facing him and embraced her from behind.

"I miss you, Misao" he whispered though he knew that she would've noticed that in his powerful grip on her waist.

"I miss you too, Aoshi sama" she could feel the warm liquid escaping her eyes.

He kissed her left cheek and moved his right hand to her huge tummy rubbing it gently.

"When are you due?" he asked.

"Next month" she replied as she placed her right hand on top of his.

"The baby will be our Christmas present then" he concluded.

She nodded happily.

"Misao"

"Yes?" she tilted her head to the back so she could face him.

"Thank you for waiting" he continued.

"Thank you for coming home safely, Aoshi sama" she replied.

He leaned forward as he locked his lips with hers in a long kiss. It was salty since she was crying her tears of joy endlessly but he didn't care. He was just glad that he could come back home alive and re-united with his beloved family.

The End