Homecoming

A Rurouni Kenshin fanfiction

Disclaimer: All rights to Nobuo Watsuki and print and film companies. No ownership to piece of original Rurouni Kenshin franchise. The following story is a work of fiction for entertainment purposes and is not made for profit.

Part 1.

The temperature on the train was much hotter than the cooling autumn air of the platform, but Misao had no reason to complain, Aoshi was taking them home. All of them.

"If we wait any longer, the dirt will be too hard. Then we will have to wait until the spring to take them home."

Misao could barely believe what she heard, but at a glance into his blue, blue eyes, she knew. The ice that had lived there for so long, the eternal glacier she thought would never melt, was finally starting to slip away. Most people who had the fortune, or misfortune, to meet Shinomori Aoshi knew of the ice cold look that could pierce anyone's soul. Very few people had the notion of an Aoshi before that ice took root in his essence, and Makimachi Misao was one who not only remembered it, but thought of him fondly.

Misao craned her neck for as long as she could, but eventually, the station and then the town rolled away from her sight. Allowing a sigh to escape, she took in her surroundings. The train was only partially full, only a few groups of people travelling before the winter weather set in to slow recreational trips for the year. Aoshi sat next to her, separating her from the rest of the passengers with his body. There were no people directly in front of them, and a lone child, curious to see out the window, had temporarily climbed on the seat behind them.

"Are you glad to be heading home?" Misao asked, tipping her head and speaking lightly, even though the engine and wheels made a terrible and loud noise.

"Aah."

"Me too," Misao looked down at her feet, kicking them lightly without making a sound. "I'm glad that we can all go home together. Even though..."

Her words trailed off, and her gaze went for the rolling countryside beyond Aoshi, mesmerized by the softly rolling fields. She did not even realize that she stopped speaking until Aoshi broke into her daze.

"Even though, what, Misao?"

"Hm? What was that, Aoshi-sama?" She drew her attention from the window to look at the sun play across the soft angles of Aoshi's face.

"You were in the middle of saying something, were you not?"

"Oh, you know me, just saying words, but not really meaning anything," Misao gave him her trademark smile

Aoshi let the subject drop, even though Misao did not speak as lightly as she pretended. From a very young age, Misao was always more cunning than she let on. He was certain that Okina, wise as he was, always knew what Misao was up to, or at least understood her, but was also smart enough to trust in her. The young girl next to him was far more deceptive than most of the shinobi he knew during the height of the war.

Silence fell between them and Aoshi was content to sit, perfectly still with his eyes closed as he meditated. The rocking of the train helping him loll off into the clear calmness of his mind. Next to him, Misao continued to look outside and gaze as the countryside whipped past them at breakneck speed.

Above them, in a box lined carefully with soft pine needles from the forest around their temporary resting places, the remains of the four loyal ninjas lay. The work that Aoshi and Misao underwent for their trip home took a few days. First, they had to walk to the burial site, high in the hills in the quiet of the forest. Then they had to dig each one up, careful as they shoveled their way through some early deep set mud. Next, a fire had to be built up, hot enough and long enough to leave four sets of hollow bones and a pile of smoldering ashes.

Throughout their task, neither one spoke much. Only to give directions on what else needed to be done or what they should do next. They had travelled to Tokyo together, the two week trip to the city was only slightly awkward. Misao overcompensated by being overly frantic about the whole situation, talking to herself about how worried she was about Kaoru-san and Himura, but rarely tried to hold a conversation with Aoshi.

It had been a surprise to her that Aoshi was going to go with her to Tokyo. In an impulsive, and possibly childish, move, Misao declared that she was going to go aide Himura in dealing with his crazy ex-brother-in-law problem. When Aoshi stepped up and said that he was going too, everyone was shocked. Okon and Omasu might have had a little bit more glee in their surprise, but they passed it off as general frenzied excitement, as women do, so they said.

In her state of surprise, Misao tried to turn Aoshi down. She offered to take the information to the others for him, and that she could go alone.

"We leave tomorrow morning," was Aoshi's response and there was no further discussion of it.

Now, on their way home, Misao wasn't sure what to think. Life had gotten so routine in the time after the Shishio Makoto fiasco and the Kenshin-gumi went home. She woke up in the morning, trained, took tea to Aoshi at the temple, helped out at the restaurant, ate meals, and did paperwork for the Oniwabanshu. There was no talking with Aoshi. Even when she had the opportunity to, she didn't have conversations with him; she just talked aloud, in a way that could have been verbal thoughts, or it could be construed as a once sided conversation. If he felt so inclined, Aoshi could say something, but she put very little pressure on him to contribute to the ramblings of her mind.

"You are fidgeting," Aoshi breathed, his voice barely perceptible over the sound of the train.

"Sorry," Misao turned away from the window and readjusted herself in the seat. Hands folded in her lap, feet square and evenly spaced on the floor, back straight, but relaxed, and her chin dropped just enough so she wouldn't get a neck cramp. She also closed her eyes for good measure, if she meditated, then maybe she wouldn't squirm around so much on the uncomfortable chair.

"It seems like you have a lot on your mind, Misao."

"Just girl stuff, Aoshi-sama. Nothing for you to worry about. I'm just thinking about home and how everyone is doing and what is going to be different."

"Aah, I see," Aoshi intoned, but cracked an eye open to look at the figure beside him, the picture of complete training, but with a bit more freshness than just another ninja. "And what is your conclusion?"

"Oh, you know that nothing is going to be any different. We will probably go home to find them doing the exact same thing that we saw them doing when we left. Nothing ever changes. Not with us. We have our lives interrupted for a short while, then everything goes back to normal," Misao stated.

She could feel Aoshi's gaze upon her, could almost feel the speculation she was undergoing, but she kept her cool, digging deep for her meditation training to keep her in a tranquil state. No one needed to know that she went looking for Aoshi for months upon months before the incident with Shishio Makoto. No one needed to know that Misao had no semblance of what a normal life really was until after Aoshi came home.

They managed the rest of the train ride in silence. Then started the more difficult stretch of the journey. Walking home with no excuses for conversation. Misao really didn't know what to say or do, she was just naturally noisy, something that made being a ninja incredibly difficult. But without any reason and with Aoshi at her side, Misao kept her mouth shut over the next two weeks and spent her energy on keeping up her pace with the longer strides of her travelling companion.

"Misao," Aoshi stood at the gate to a ryokan, the way station for weary travelers along the road.

"Yes, Aoshi-sama?"

"Shall we stop for today?"

Misao looked at the inviting lights of the country inn, and at the still looming sun. A quick shake of her head was all Aoshi needed to move away from the little wooden gate and back onto the road.

"We can still get a good amount of distance done today. And I know of a nice spot down the way. We should get there before the sun is completely set," Misao said as she readjusted the box slung over her shoulder.

"You seem to be comfortable travelling."

Hearing his statement and the veiled meaning behind it, Misao just gave a sweet, cheerful smile and started humming an old children's song as she led the way down the road. What Aoshi had not said, was that there was no reason for Misao to have travelled at all. She was too young to have fought in the war, so she would not travel then. The Oniwabanshu never moved from their base location in Kyoto, so there was no moving of the house, either. After the war, when Misao was old enough to travel, there was no reason; all ninja related business had come to a screeching halt. Something Aoshi knew far too well.

"I did some travelling a while back. The road isn't such a scary place. You get to meet all sorts of people. Some people are really nice," she grinned at some memories. "And others, well, you know how some people think they can just help themselves to whatever they want."

"Did any of these people,"Aoshi paused, working around a tightness in his throat, "try to help themselves around you?"

"Of course they did," she stated nonchalantly. "They were just rude like that. But they couldn't really take anything from me once I was done with them."

The knot that was building in Aoshi's throat lessened. Of course she could protect herself. Misao was not some sort of damsel in distress. She was a highly trained ninja with skills that would put her on the new government's watch list.

"I sincerely hope you were lenient in your judgment on the unsuspecting."

"Naw, I'm all for equality. Everyone was beaten equally, everyone was relieved of their unnecessary cash equally," Misao shrugged and continued to dance along the road, swaying to her own beat.

They continued until a line of trees lined the road, then Misao slowed down and carefully checked the side of the path for some markers.

"The path is nearby, we'll be at the campsite in less than an hour. We still have plenty of sunlight left."

Aoshi waited, watching the road, his eyes scanning for any dangers while Misao dug around in the low shrubbery.

"Aha, found it, come on, Aoshi-sama," jumping over a large rock, Misao disappeared into the shadowy dusk of the forest. Silently, Aoshi followed, his cold eyes still sweeping the area.

Catching up with ease, Aoshi laid a hand on the girl's shoulder. He felt her tense and heard the short intake of air, but she stayed otherwise quiet. Silently, she looked up, their eyes meeting, and a silent exchange occurred. Something was not right. Instinctively, Misao's hands felt for her kunai, ready and waiting at her waist and wrists. Whatever it was, it was staying out of sight, but it had gotten closer.

Another look exchanged between them. Fight in the shrubbery, try to lose them, or find a better place for an attack. Misao broke contact as her eyes shifted to the boxes that she and Aoshi were carrying. Normal supplies would be one thing to toss aside for a fight, but the remains of their fallen comrades was something she refused to disrespect. When she looked back up, she saw one short nod of agreement.

Quick as a flash, they both jumped into the branches of the trees around them. They jumped through the higher path, Misao leading the way to one of the clearings she knew. Crashing below them, a crew of bandits chased them.

"Just like old times," Misao thought to herself, grinning like a child getting sweets. The clearing came up quickly and Misao found a safe branch to sling her belongings, high and out of reach of the ruffians chasing them.

Both she and Aoshi were waiting when the group of panting fools arrived.

"Alright, give us..." the leader of the bandits trailed off at the close up sight of what their prey actually wielded.

"You just said it was a man and a girl child. You didn't say anything about them being armed," the skinniest of the group was shaking as he eyed the swords at Aoshi's side.

"They were running in the trees, you didn't really think we could take them, did you, boss?"

"Shut up!" the man in charge barked at his men before turning back to the ninjas. "You two, give us all your stuff. And we won't make this into trouble."

"These were the kinds of people I was mentioning to you before, Aoshi-sama," Misao said, keeping her eyes trained on the group as they slowly tried to encircle the pair.

"Aah."

"Sorry, guys, can't give you our stuff. It's ours after all, so you will have to take it from us. But the same could go the other way. I can just take stuff from you, too."

"I doubt it, kid. But I know I'm gonna take a lot more than just your belongings from you," the leader started laughing, but soon found it difficult as he was coughing up blood from the single, forceful punch Aoshi landed in the man's diaphragm.

"Boss!" the other men exclaimed and went to rush Aoshi, who they thought was the only threat. To their dismay, they soon found themselves careening into each other with swift kicks delivered with an angry, feminine yell.

A brief scuffle later, Misao was looting through pockets to find that none of them even had enough money to order tea and cakes at the rest stop.

"Well, that was a complete waste of time," Misao sighed, slinging her belongings back onto her shoulders. "I guess we need to go find a better place to stop for the night. There is a river nearby, we can follow it for a while to put some distance between us and gang-o-stupid back there."

With a nod, Aoshi followed as Misao led the way through the shadows of the trees and made their way to a suitable camp. They found a little clearing near the river and made camp for the night. They were sure that there were no more bandits, but they built only a small fire just in case. With the river right beside them and the quickly dropping temperature, Misao started to shiver from the cold. After putting her packs in a safe niche of tree roots, she unpacked her manto and slung it over her shoulders.

Aoshi, who had been surveying the area for safety, turned at the swooshing fabric. It was just longer than knee length, still leaving the girl with plenty of mobility, but he wasn't sure how much warmer she was feeling. He could still see her shaking under the new garment.

"Misao."

"I'm fine. Just a little cold. I'll be toasty warm in two shakes," Misao read Aoshi's mind and carried the conversation for him. "See, I'm feeling warmer already."

She hunkered down at the base of a tree and pulled out a pack of food, leftovers from their previous meal on the road. Taking some of the food for herself, she held out the rest for Aoshi to take. Being more than twice her size, he obviously needed the food.

"You should eat more," Aoshi tried to hand some of the food back to the girl, but she seemed to not hear him as she was looking intently at her left arm. "What?"

"Aoshi-sama, can you get a bandage from my pack? And the little bottle that Megumi-san gave us? One of those stupid heads actually got me," Misao held her left arm away from her body in order to lower the chances of blood dripping onto her clothes. Blood stains were always a pain to have to clean out of a good uniform.

Rustling around briefly, Aoshi brought the desired items and a flask of water to clean and bandage the wound. Wincing only slightly at the potency of the medicine, Misao stayed silent, even taking a bite of food once the sting abated.

"Thanks, Aoshi-sama," Misao swallowed in order to speak. Surveying his job, Misao noticed that there was still a light smear of quickly drying blood on her upper arm, but decided that it wasn't a threat to her clothing or, more importantly, the cloak around her shoulders. "The next inn is only a few hours from this one, but we're almost home."

"Are you eager to be home again?"

"Yes," Misao answered without hesitation. "Aren't you?"

In the silence that followed, Misao grew uneasy. The simple food turned bland and dusty in her mouth as she started to think. Sure Aoshi had stayed with them since the incident with Shishio, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. She might understand what Aoshi to the extent of wanting another cup of tea, but trying to understand what went on in the big picture was nigh impossible.

"Not necessarily eager," Aoshi said quietly. "It is good to have a home."

The two short sentences, seemingly disjointed, both held a weight of other questions that flooded Misao's mind. If he wasn't eager, then what was he? Did he prefer the road? Was that why he was asking her about her own travelling? But to have a home meant he always had a place to go back. So did that mean that he didn't have a home before?

Misao fiddled with the end of her braid, frustrated with all the questions, and not used to caring about the answers. Even though she took over the role of Okashira, she was still not as serious as she could be. There was something to be said about not taking everything super seriously. Most of her work was information passing. She took in a lot, but most of it just got filed away until something important required action. Questioning was not something she did frequently; punching was.

"We should be able to press our way home in two days if you want."

Misao turned to look up at Aoshi, blank confusion in her eyes. Yes, she might be eager to be home again. Back with her family and in a house with a bath, but that didn't mean that she wasn't enjoying her time on the road. After all they went through with Enishi, she didn't mind the extra leisurely trip.

"It would probably be best," Misao looked up at the sky, assessing the cloud cover. "We need to get everyone home."

The four boxes sat next to their belongings in the clearing, flickering in the small campfire light Aoshi had just lit. If they took too long in returning home, the ground would be too hard for the grave diggers, even with their quality shovels.

"Aah," Aoshi agreed.

They spent the rest of the night in moderate silence. Aoshi meditated and Misao occupied her own thoughts by entertaining her thoughts on how everyone was at home. Jiiya was probably still tormenting the young women of the city, while the rest of the Oniwabanshu ran their restaurant inn. For being fully trained ninjas, her comrades were well accustomed to life as city folk of the new government. She hadn't fought in any war, and the majority of her life was spent during the new political system, but nothing ever made Misao feel like she fit in.

Where other girls her age were either working girls or married off to rich men, Misao was content on being herself. Single women having careers was not uncommon, Okon and Omasu at the Aoiya and Sae of the Shirobeko, were strong role models. They needed no man to give them a comfortable life style; they made it themselves. And Misao honestly believed she would end up following in their footsteps. Any suitor Jiiya would bring to Misao left in a hurry, some without the decency to make up excuses.

No one wanted the loud mouth, violent girl as a wife.

Misao heaved a sigh, staring into the dancing firelight. It was her shift at watch, and Aoshi slept, leaning against a nearby tree. The small source of light flickered and threw shadows across the sleeping man's face, showing the shallow curves of his cheek and jaw. There were circles under his eyes, accentuated by the tilt of his head, and Misao wondered when he started to lose sleep. Since the end of the war, when he was trying to support his team? Before that?

"When was the last time you truly rested?" Misao wondered silently, keeping a watchful eye on the sleeping figure. Ninjas were trained to be ready for anything, and Aoshi was very good at his job. It was very likely that he had never gotten a good night sleep since he was first trained as a young boy. Misao wondered if it was that way with others. Kenshin did seem to be the same way, more so during the last few months. Warriors, always ready to spring into action. Misao just shook her head and sighed again.

A few hours later, as the sun was barely breaking the horizon, Misao woke up to the sound of Aoshi sweeping out the fire remains.

"Good morning, Aoshi-sama," Misao slurred through the beginning of a yawn. She stretched luxuriously against the tree she sat below before standing up and going through a full set of proper stretches.

"Good morning, Misao," Aoshi watched with a critical eye as Misao went through a full range of movements. Not only did he see the underlying skill the girl possessed, he also saw the unknown sensuality of the woman she was becoming. He turned away and busied himself with the packs.

After a small breakfast and cleaning up, they headed back for the road and for home. They walked quickly and passed many other people on the road. They received quite a few glances and double glances. Aoshi and Misao made a very interesting travelling pair, one tall and silent, the other short and always making some sort of sound. Misao made a game of their day time travelling. For each of the looks that she caught, which was all of them, she would determine what they were thinking. Some thought that Aoshi was a handsome man, which was true. Others thought that they were an odd set. Another option was that it was scandalous for Misao to be showing her knees. And a few who thought it down right despicable that a young pair would be travelling, without the indication that they were married.

They made good time and were even lucky enough to get the last room at an inn just as the sun was setting.

"Thank goodness," Misao exclaimed as they settled into their room. It was a small room, just enough for two futons to be laid out and for a pile of belongings. But it was all they needed. Opening the closet, Misao pulled out the yukata and obi stashed inside. "I'm going to the onsen to wash up."

Aoshi merely nodded before she went bounding off to the baths. The natural hot spring at this particular inn made it a popular stop for many travelers. Taking a long soak sounded good to Aoshi as well, so he collected his things, and once making sure that their belongings were safe, went to the men's bath.

Steam from the natural hot spring filled the cool early winter air, billowing clouds of white haze concealing the finer details of the bath house. There were other travelers soaking in the water, laughing and talking in loud tones the bespoke of alcohol consumption. Dividing the hot springs was a tall impervious fence of thick bamboo, but from the other side, giggles and the general sounds of women relaxing wafted over to the men, who in turn would laugh and speak even more loudly. Aoshi frowned at some of the lewd things the men brazenly said.

But alas, there was nothing he could do.

He washed up quickly and snuck himself into a secluded corner of the pool, as far away from the other occupants as possible. From the other side of the fence he could hear quiet splashes, different from the waves created by the giggling women.

"Can't even enjoy a nice onsen anymore."

Aoshi's ears perked up at the mumbling voice.

"Isn't that right, Aoshi-sama?"

He couldn't help but appreciate her skill. Even through the fence and the noise, Misao had been able to discern that he was able to hear her.

"Aah," he agreed, verbally, since she couldn't see his nod.

"Sounds like they've gotten into the sake already. It'd be a pity if they passed out and drowned. Everyone knows it is a bad idea to take a hot bath while intoxicated. There could be an accident," her voice sounded innocent enough, but her words were sarcastic.

She played with the hot water, enjoying the way the heat flowed straight into her bones and leeched out the aches and pain that threatened to settle there. Thinking back to the last time she went to an onsen on her travels, Misao let out a small snorkel of laughter escape. Kaoru was very upset with Kenshin for losing all their money. Working at that inn wasn't that bad, for Misao. It was just like working at the Aoiya. A little harder, maybe, since it took some time before her orders were followed. She frowned, thinking that she was not that demanding.

"What are you thinking about?"

Misao jerked away from the fence, trying to grab for a weapon of some sort. The question was sudden and startled her before she remembered that Aoshi was on the other side of the fence, probably wondering what bizarre thoughts had caused her to laugh aloud.

"Oh, just the last time I was at an onsen. It was with Himura and the others. That was a very interesting set of events."

"Was it now?"

Misao couldn't really tell if he was genuinely curious or if he was being polite. Deciding it would be rude not to respond, she said, "Another guest took particular interest in Kaoru-san. When Himura lost all our money, we were forced to work off our debt and there was a fight for Kaoru-san's attention."

"Ah."

"You had to be there. Too many stupid things, but you might not have found any humor in it," Misao played with the water, bouncing her palm against the top layer and letting it push back.

She said it without any malice, but it rankled Aoshi's nerves. Did he seem like someone who didn't understand humor? Did he not know how to have a good time? Maybe not the same way the idiots on the other side of the onsen did, getting drunk and becoming aroused at the sounds of women taking baths. But that didn't mean that Aoshi didn't know a good time when he saw one. It was just that he was rarely in that situation.

"I'm turning into a prune. I'll see you back at the room, Aoshi-sama," Misao said and there was a rush of water as she left the pool.

Aoshi stayed for a few more minutes, sitting in silent agony, partially because the other occupants were really starting to get on his nerves, but mostly because of Misao's unintentional words.

When he deemed that he had enough, Aoshi left the warmth of the water. Striding around the edge of the pool, he managed to tip the bucket of cold water near the men folk, rapidly cooling the area and causing another round of drunken frenzy. He changed into a clean yukata and made his way back to the room, dodging other patrons on the way.

Arriving near the room, he found Misao glaring across the garden, her hair loose and flowing down her back. In her hand, she held a piece of unidentifiable wood.

"Misao?"

She didn't respond right away, so Aoshi touched her elbow. Her eyes flicked over to him, acknowledging his presence. Holding up the item in her hand, Aoshi understood.

Her hairbrush broke.

It wasn't like her hair was a particular problem. The problem lay in that Misao would attack her hair, rather than brush it like any normal person. Why she kept her hair so long, when she didn't like to take care of it, Aoshi could not even begin to fathom. Instead, he just took the handle from her hand and tried to find the head of the brush.

With a sigh, Misao reached up and removed the sought after item from her hair. It had snagged on a wet knot and there met its doom. Aoshi took that piece from her as well and told himself that laughing, even smiling in humor, would lead to some very deliberate attempts to injure him.

"Coming through, please!" a fleet of women with stacks of empty dinner trays were coming down the hall at an impressive speed.

Aoshi moved closer to the edge of the porch, in order to let the workers pass, and scooped Misao up in one arm when she stayed in the path of the stampeding women. It was a quick, fluid movement, like all his other motions. Snaking his arm around and behind her waist, Aoshi pulled Misao to him, her feet off the polished floor, and tucked her tightly beside his hip. She moved easily, giving no resistance to him and even snuggled closer to him.

Once the women turned the corner and disappeared from view, Misao started to pull away, not wanting Aoshi to get the right impression. His arm grew rigid and he refused to let her move further than an inch.

"Come," he spun them around and took her inside their little room. Tossing the broken handle onto the table, he grasped the brush head in his hand and set Misao down on the floor. "You need to be more careful."

Starting from the bottom of her hair, Aoshi brushed in layers, unknotting and detangling as he moved up along the length of Misao's hair.

"I got impatient."

"Then why have it so long?" Aoshi brushed Misao's bangs softly, not wanting to rake the bristles against her face.

Her silence meant something. She was deciding what she wanted to let him know and what she didn't.

"I guess I can cut it now," she played with the end of her sleeve and refused to look at Aoshi as he continued.

"When was the last time you cut it?"

He had no idea the internal reaction Misao had to that simple question. She hadn't cut her hair since he left to fight in the war. There had been times when she trimmed the smallest amount off in order to keep everything from splitting, but even that was only once every year. And always on the same day, the day she learned that he left. No one but she knew of her conscious decision. Her hair was her timer. She refused to cut her hair until Aoshi came home. It was a childish choice, but Misao held fast with a burning conviction.

But if he was going home, and he admitted it on the train previously, then she could cut her hair.

"I don't remember," Misao lied poorly, but Aoshi didn't pressure her.

Instead, he took out a towel and dried Misao's hair even more thoroughly. Her hair was like a river of silk in his fingers and Aoshi was having a hard time refraining from tousling the long strands just to feel it covering his hands. She mewed like a cat in a bag as her head was assaulted by the fabric, surprised by the sudden darkness. Once she realized what was happening, she stopped her incessant noise and enjoyed the attention. Fingers that were so used to gipping the hilt of a blade were strong and sure as they massaged through the towel.

Aoshi baulked slightly when Misao let out a long content sigh. The pressure increased against his fingers as Misao leaned into his touch. When he moved the towel from her head to dry the long strands, Misao let out a disgruntled sound, but obediently sat back upright and let Aoshi wick away the water from her neck.

"How did you get so good at this?" Misao asked Aoshi, silently pondering if he had a lover who enjoyed the same ministrations.

"Common sense. Something you seem to lack," Aoshi said without malice. How many times did he see her running though the Aoiya with dripping hair down the back of her shirt? Her immune system was great for it, though. Wet hair in the dead of winter trained her body to rarely get sick, even when it seemed like everyone around her was dropping like flies.

Misao made no comeback, but hunched over at the scolding. She got a single poke in the side for her poor posture, which she wiggled away and continued to sulk. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't stay mad when Aoshi took up the brush again to smooth out the newly tousled strands.

By the time Aoshi finished and Misao scooped it into a loose braid over her shoulder, their dinner arrived. It was a simple affair and they ate in silence. They left the empty trays outside their door and turned in for the night. Far away, they could hear the raucous laughter of a drunk party and knew that they would be much less merry in the morning when they walk into the rising sun with splitting headaches.

The futon were thin from much use and the blankets offered less warmth than expected. Misao, who refused to be anything but comfortable when in a proper establishment, grabbed her cloak from her bed and tried to hunker down into whatever warmth she could make. Being inside a building that didn't allow fires was a disadvantage to sleeping outdoors.

Being cold, Misao could deal with. The noises coming through the thin walls, she could not. For the first few uncomfortable minutes, Misao grit her teeth and clenched her eyes shut. She hated being able to hear so well. Second point on the scoreboard for sleeping outside. Normally, Misao skipped staying at the ryokan, just pay them for the use of the bath and move on to the next campsite. Travelling with a companion generally meant there were more nights spent at the roadside inns.

In all earnestness, she moved as quietly as she could in efforts to protect her ears without disturbing Aoshi. His hearing was even better, it was a wonder how he could put up with it. Maybe all that meditation was paying off.

As hard as she tried, Misao groaned in agony as the woman on the other side of the wall moaned in ecstasy. She gave up on the pretense of trying to be quiet and sat bolt upright, a kunai in her hand, ready to throw it with enough force to puncture the wall.

A firm hand wrapped around her wrist, stopping her from destroying inn property. In the darkness, Misao could see Aoshi shake his head and remove the blade from her grasp. With a fell swoop, Aoshi pulled both blankets and Misao with him as he retreated back to his futon at the far side of the room. Arranging himself under his blanket, he tugged Misao on top of it, giving her more cushion beneath her, before wrapping her blanket on top. When Misao tried to inch away from him, Aoshi put his arm around, tugging her closer and even rested her head on his chest.

His heartbeat was better than a metronome. Even, steady beats that drowned out everything around them, even the erratic sounds from the other room. Misao pressed her ear close to his heart, letting it engulf her and lull her to sleep. As she drifted off, she smiled when she felt fingers running through her hair.

The next morning, Misao happened to be outside when the couple emerged from the room. She made sure to stare long and hard at them until they shuffled away, bright red and embarrassed.

"You did not need to do that."

"You're right, I didn't. But I feel so much better now," Misao swung her pack onto her back and took up her boxes before leading the way out of the inn and back on the road.