Pulling It Off

By, pinoykengumi7

Disclaimer: Don't own Rurouni Kenshin. If I did, Aoshi would be wearing glasses -

Hi everyone. This is my first Aoshi x Misao one-shot so be nice and review! Constructive criticism highly welcomed.

Summary: Misao is pulling WHAT off!

-duckii mustang-

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"…and off goes the ba-rk!" Aoshi opened one eye out of curiousity. His right eyebrow raised sceptically as he saw Misao peeling off the bark of the tree animatedly, singing 'off goes the bark' to the tune of 'pop goes the weasel'. Shaking his head slightly, he resumed to his meditation, under a birch tree, drinking in the scent of the sweet cool breeze. Occasionally his thoughts would go to the girl playing opposite him. Her sea green eyes shone and a long ebony plait swished from side to side. He had known her since birth. Her parents had died almost immediately after her death, leaving her in the hands of Okina and himself.

For an 8-year-old, she was quite sheltered from the rest of the world and took pleasure in learning kempo. Just like her Aoshi-sama. Though she was still young, she showed promise in her arts and intellectual skills. Though there were times she would lapse into a childish attitude…

The boy sighed. At the age of 14-years-old he was forced to learn so much. He studied fervently for the upcoming test to be okashira, but was pleased that there was still time to play with his Misao-chan. A soft smile tugged on the corners of his lips as the girl's eyebrows knitted together as she tried in vain to pull the bark off the tree. Slowly he stood up and wiped the dry grass off his tan clothes.

"Aoshi-sama," she whined. "This bark is too hard to pull off!" She tugged again, but ended up falling back on Aoshi, who steadied her.

Leaving his hands on her shoulders, he asked quietly, "Misao-chan, why are you taking off the bark of the tree?"

"Because it's pretty!" She exclaimed. "Look!" She released herself from his hold to pick up a strip of bark. "It feels like paper." The bark was thrust into Aoshi's hands. He pulled his wire-rimmed glasses out from his breast pocket and put them on. A small smile threatened to make its way onto his face.

"Don't I look like a professor, Misao-chan?"

"Aoshi-sama!" Her tone was indignant. "Take them off. You look too old in them." Aoshi settled for a light chuckle and removed his glasses. "Say, Aoshi-sama. Jiya said that taking the tree's bark off them isn't good for them."

"That's right." His voice sounded serious, but there was warmth in his eyes. "If you take too much off they could die."

He studied her scrunched-up face as she tried to comprehend what he had just told her. At last her face burst into a radiant smile. "I get it! The bark is like clothes for the tree, right Aoshi-sama?" The said boy deadpanned.

"Well…" pause. "I guess you could think of it that way." And they thought he described things in a confusing way.

"So," her voice trembled with excitement and innocence. "If I pulled off all your clothes, would you die?"

Aoshi promptly choked on his own spit.

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FIN

Author's Notes

Just something random that I came up with while walking to school. I walked past a tree and voila inspiration for a new oneshot!

Please review.