By Shin Sankai
-------------------------
Rustling from just beyond the stone fence of the backyard belonging to the Aoi-ya had large blue eyes turning towards the sound. A little girl, about 3 years old, who had been sneaking up behind a grasshopper forgot all about the insect at hearing the cracking of twigs and the crushing of dried leaves. Curiosity was within her blood and on short legs the youngster made her way to the short stone fence, climbing up it and then over to look around. She was not allowed to leave the yard, being pestered by Okon and Omasu, two teenagers who looked after her when her grandfather could not. They were far stricter then her grandfather was, but to Makimachi Misao, exploration was something she loved very much. She'd wandered off several times when she began walking at the age of 18 months, scaring the other residents in the Aoi-ya to high heavens. Today was no different as she explored behind several boulders and then turned enquiring ocean orbs towards a bushy shrub. Walking towards it, head tilted, thumb in her mouth, her eyes noticed a collapsed boy. He was lying on his back, jet-black hair, dirty and knotty. He had scratches and bruises over his exposed limbs and face. Blue watched one eye crack open, an unbelievable bright green as the other remained shut, swollen and purple from being punched. With teeth chewing into her bottom little, Misao watched as one weak hand reached for her, but dropped silently to the ground when she ran away.
-------------------------
Unbeknownst to the once again unconscious boy, Misao had climbed back over the fence, her short legs taking her quickly to the porch.
"Ojiisan! Ojiisan!" She yelled as she rushed into the hallway of the ground floor to the Aoi-ya private residence. She was dressed in blue shorts and shirt, her blue-black hair placed into plaited pigtails that fell against her tiny shoulder blades. Hurriedly she rushed upstairs, panting as she did once she reached her grandfather's office. Without knocking she pulled the shoji across and rushed inside. A couple of men were within the office and Misao did not care as she ran to the desk where her Ojiisan sat and pat him on the leg urgently.
"Misao-chan, Ojiisan is trying to conduct some business. Can it wait?" He questioned his granddaughter sternly. He watched her shake her head, those blue eyes starring up at him, dewy with emotion. "Will you please excuse me for a moment gentlemen?" He followed his three year old granddaughter out, her small hand grabbing some of his fingers as she led him down the stairs and out into the backyard.
"Misao-chan what on earth?" Omasu began, but stopped as Makimachi-sama placed up his hand, observing as the only remaining family he had left alive rushed down the stairs, climbed the stone wall near the bushy shrub and pointed to where he could not yet see.
"Ojiisan there's an injured boy." Omasu walked on over with Misao's grandfather and gasped in horror as the young girl had been right. She rushed to get help as Misao watched her grandfather lean over to pick up the young boy to take him inside. His hand had slipped from his lap and dangled towards the ground. As Misao jogged alongside her grandfather her little hand reached up towards the battered one and brushed her fingers over the hard tanned skin. Instantly those fingers latched onto hers and she smiled as she headed upstairs with her grandfather. Misao observed her grandfather place this unknown boy into Omasu and Okon's care and she sat quietly in the corner, watching his young Oniwabanshuu members get to work on him. He did not resist when the youngest member sat in his lap, her eyes very much trained on what was going on. The older girls stripped the injured boy of his tattered clothing and began wiping him down, cleaning and cleansing his wounds as they went.
-------------------------
Morning turned to afternoon and afternoon turned to dusk. Makimachi-sama had come to check on the young lad every now and then to see if he awoke and was walking upstairs to do exactly that again. The young Misao was tagging behind. She was meant to be eating dinner with the others but as soon as she heard her grandfather mutter he was going to check on their guest she rushed after him, ignoring the complaining coming from Okon.
The eldest ninja pulled the shoji across and saw one disorientated eye glancing around the room; the confused forest green orb darted towards his yukata-clad form.
"Ah, you finally woke up I see." He walked inside and kneeled beside the futon, watching as the quiet boy inched slightly away and lifted the blanket up to his shoulders. Makimachi-sama chuckled lightly and placed his hand on the young boys head, watching him flinch slightly. "There is nothing to fear here boy, you are safe with my family." He quietly watched as the young boy sat up straighter, his back leaning against the wall, his sharp eye looking out into the night sky.
"I'm sorry…to inconvenience you." Makimachi-sama's eyebrow rose. The maturity held within that voice was surprising.
"How old are you boy?"
"I'll be 12 in January." He watched the elder man rise from his kneeled position. He headed for the door. "Ah…" His hand was reaching out, watching as those dark eyes fell on him once more. Green watched him as he slid the shoji open and he blinked silently as a young girl walked inside and kneeled right before him, her large blue eyes staring up at him.
"This is my granddaughter, she found you and informed me of your whereabouts."
"She wasn't…running away?"
"My granddaughter is the most gentle being you'll ever meet. She would never turn her back on anyone." He moved back over and placed his hand on Misao's head, watching as she looked up at him and then back over to the boy. "Now what do you say?"
"Konbanwa." Misao voiced with a sunshine smile on her face. "Makimachi Misao desu."
"Shi-Shinomori…Aoshi…" The young boy voiced, a slight grin forming on his cut lips as the young girl giggled happily.
"Misao-chan, will you go downstairs and bring Aoshi-kun some food?" They two males watched the young girl dash out of the room and obviously downstairs to where Shiro and Kuro would be cooking up a storm in the Aoi-ya restaurant. It was after all, a front they kept up being a secret organisation and all. "Now, I do not wish to pry into what has happened to you, but I do ask that you inform me of your parents whereabouts so I can send word to them that you are safe." He watched Aoshi bow his head and instantly knew there was no parents, no family relatives. "Aoshi-kun, raise your head and never look down for it is a weakness."
"Hai!" Makimachi-sama's lips quirked at the seriousness in his voice.
"Aoshi-kun, would you like to live with me and Misao-chan, here at the Aoi-ya?"
"I…"
"I'll make sure you become stronger, so no one will ever look down upon you again." He noticed emotion, just a flicker pass through his eye and placed out his right hand. "Take my hand, I will guide you to your new future." Aoshi instantly took grip of the wrinkled hand.
"Ojiisan, Okon-neesan wants to speak with you." Makimachi-sama left the room, leaving Misao to attend to Aoshi. She padded quietly inside, placing the tray down and once more stared over at Aoshi.
"Why do you keep staring?" He muttered aloud, on the defensive. His eye grew wide when her small pale hand reached up, brushing her fingers down the side of his face, cupping his cheek lightly.
"When I get hurt, Ojiisan would do this to me, to make me feel better." Aoshi could not help but lean into the sweet gentle touch. "Does it make you better?" He nodded lightly and felt something twitch within him when her touch was drawn away from his bruised face. Misao had occupied her hands with pulling the lid off a bowl of rice and did the same to a bowl of vegetables with some fried beef. Quietly Aoshi watched the young Misao pour the veggies and meat combination over the rice and handed it to him.
"You need to eat up if Ojiisan is to become your master."
"Master?" Aoshi murmured as he scraped food into his parched mouth.
"Hai, Ojiisan is the head of the Oniwabanshuu."
"Oniwabanshuu?"
"Misao-chan…" The young Aoshi listened to Misao 'eep' lightly as she stood straight up and turned to face her grandfather, big eyes dewy as she stared up at him. "What did I tell you about keeping secrets?"
"Demo, Aoshi-niisan will be our family though, like you said, so its okay right?" She was swaying from heal to toe, hands behind her back and a grin on her face. Makimachi-sama pinched her cheek lightly and swatted her butt, telling her to go downstairs and eat.
"She is…" Dark eyes turned to gaze at Aoshi, who was watching the shoji where Misao had disappeared through. "…sunshine."
"I do what I do, to protect those that are like my granddaughter. Sunshine is something very special to all of us here at the Aoi-ya. It helps guide us in dark times. One day you will learn this too Aoshi-kun."
"Along side you, it has become my duty to protect the sunshine." Makimachi-sama's lips parted at his words. For a single moment his breath was caught in his throat when one determined green eye focused on his dark ones. "I am honoured that you would allow me to stay here with you and Misao. I shall protect her with my very life."
"You are far beyond your years Aoshi-kun." Makimachi-sama was certain the 11 year old didn't understand as he tilted his head slightly. He pondered whether this boy new the impact of his words and what they truly meant. Whoever he was, whoever had brought him up was priming him in becoming a warrior. The job had not been complete and Makimachi-sama nodded his head, his decision fully made up. He placed his hand on Aoshi's clean jet-black hair, his bangs falling shaggily into his eyes as he peered up at the elder. "I will guide you like my father and grandfather guided me. Your very name, Shinomori Aoshi, will be one that others respect."
"I accept."
"My name is Makimachi."
"Makimachi-sama…" He was surprised a little when the boy bowed lowly towards him, flinching slightly as he jarred his wounds.
"There is no need for formality, not now. Your wounds need time to heal, so do not overstress your body." He stood once more when he heard little pounding footsteps heading up the stairs. "This will be your room Aoshi-kun. You may decorate it however you please." He listened to those footsteps head down the hallway towards the room. "Once you are strong enough we will begin your training."
"Ojiisan?" He turned to look back at Misao and motioned her inside. He bent down to be eye level with his granddaughter and whispered softly into her ear. He smiled when she nodded her head, giving off a soft 'mm' noise.
"I shall see the two of you later." He stepped out into the hallway, looked back as Misao squeezed a cloth into the basin and pressed the coolness against Aoshi's purple swollen eye.
"Misao-chan will take care of you." He grinned as he slid the shoji closed when Aoshi's bandaged hand clasped the tiny one against his face.
-------------------------
Coolness against Aoshi's face made his eyes dart open. He was staring up at Misao, a much older Misao in fact. She was against his side, a basin of water near her folded legs. It didn't take long for those same ocean blue orbs to catch his open green ones.
"I'm glad to see you're finally awake." Her fingers pressed the cloth firmly against his forehead, hoping to cool down his fever. He'd been caught in a rainstorm, trying to travel back to Kyoto on foot and was now paying the price for it. "How are you feeling?"
"A lot better actually." His head tilted as he watched Misao dissolve some powdered medicine into a cup and then poured steaming green tea over it. She repacked the medicine into a wooden kit and before she picked up his cup of tea to give it to him, his hand moved out from under the blanket and pressed against her kimono-clad knee.
"Aoshi?"
"I had a dream."
"A dream?"
"It was when I was beaten as a child." Her lips parted, worry evident within her gaze but he quickly raised his fingers to press lightly against her lips. "It also happened to be the first time I met you." Aoshi witnessed Misao's cheeks flush at his words. "Though the beginning of that memory and ones before it were bad, they picked up after you came into my life."
"You flatterer." Misao mumbled as she handed Aoshi his cup of tea.
"Am I getting close to being forgiven?" He sat up, removing the cloth from his forehead and placed it back into the basin. Aoshi leaned against the wall in black yukata, it parting to reveal a lot of his tanned scarred skin on his broad chest.
"Don't think you can weasel your way out so easily. I'm not quick to forgive when you left me behind here."
"I had good reasons Misao." He watched her huff lightly and quickly leaned forward while he had the strength, one hand moving to the back of her neck, pulling her face and more importantly her lips towards his own. He shared a deep sensual kiss with her and pulled back when his head began to spin, more from the fever then anything else.
"Fi-Fine you're forgiven." Misao fumed as she watched a wicked grin form over Aoshi's lips, his head tilted against the wall. His eyes were half lidded as they roamed from her face and headed lower. His hand reached out and Misao grabbed it and placed it flat against her bulging stomach.
"See, my good reason is agreeing with me." Aoshi muttered when their unborn child kicked within Misao's belly.
"You just think you know everything."
"Not everything, just lots of things." He listened to her laugh lightly and tugged on her hand, making her move closer so she would rest against him, her head tucked beneath his chin. "One thing I don't know, is what Makimachi-sama voiced to you before leaving the room that day."
"Now that will always remain a secret between me and him. The only one I will share it with, is your daughter, so she too can do all she can for the one she loves as well."
"Fine, father and daughter will keep secrets from Okaasan as well." Misao clasped Aoshi's right hand, loving the fact that they both thought she was having a girl and the fact he had referred to himself as 'father' and she 'mother'.
"I guess they will…" Misao muttered back, eyes closing as she felt his left arm move around her, pulling her as close to his side as her pregnant figure would allow.
'Misao-chan, promise me you will allows remain his sunshine?'
'Mm'
-------------------------
EndAuthors Notes: A little something fluffy and corny, because I felt like writing.