Fatal Fury Fan Fiction ❯ Kage no Mai ❯ Kage no Mai 2.5: Moonlight and Cherry Blossoms ( Chapter 4 )

Author's note: This takes place a week after Kage no Mai 2 ends. It was written to tie up some of the many loose ends I left off in that story. It's also written to give a small amount of explanation on why Aoshi is who he is, and why he is pretty dead set on Shiranui Mai. Don't expect much lemon'ness (though still a little bit) in this one or my typical overabundance of combat, this is a plot episode. Like always all characters are the properties of whoever owns them, this story is not intended for sale, blah bablah blah...

"If she says come inside, I'll come inside for her,

and if she says give it all, I'll give everything to her,

I am justified, I am purified,

I am sanctified,

inside you.."
Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails, "Sanctified"

Tokyo. Night, a time he loved, there was a certain seduction that he always fell to when the sun set. He always had, it seemed like he always would. The room was still aglow with the constant glow that Tokyo never lost, even in her darkest moments, and the blinds could only hold so much out. The last member of the Oniwabanshu ninja arose from his warm and, still occupied bed. The young woman stirred, murmuring slightly in her sleep. The black haired man brushed her red hair away from her face and stroked her cheek. A smile appeared on her lips and eventually she was still.

Shinomori Aoshi pulled on a pair of sweat pants and glided silently out of his room. He ensured that the Shiranui Mai was still asleep and closed the door quietly. He moved through the wide, and almost empty, space that passed for his living room and walked to a framed set of kanji. They were an original section of the Tale of Genji, one of Japan's most respected legends. However the ninja was not here to pay respects to a past he sometimes wished he existed in. Aoshi took the picture off the wall tapped lightly. A section that was indistinguishable from the rest popped up slightly. He opened it the rest of the way and punched in the eight character alphanumeric code to the safe that was concealed behind the wall.

It had been almost a week since his fateful conflict with Terry Bogard. Joe was out of the hospital and Terry and him were visiting the next day. Aoshi wanted his past totally resolved before he met them again. The ninja pulled out a thick set of files and then a rectangular wooden box. He set the box down with no small amount of respect and knelt in seiza (the position where one is basically sitting on his shins) and paused for a moment thinking of the original owners of the contents of this box. Then he slowly opened the dusty container and carefully removed it's contents. A folded red and white silk kimono, a steel reinforced fan, still oiled and ready for combat, a gold chain and pendant, and a small framed picture. Aoshi looked at these items for some time, a mix of emotions spinning within him. The kimono and fan were his mothers, Shinomori Misato. Memory swam up through his mind as he remembered the last time he had seen her healthy.

Afternoon, 1978. Spring in the mountains of northern Japan. Petals of the cherry tree falling like snow in the training ground of the old home. Though it was easier to live in the prefecture capital, Aomori, the boy, his mother, and uncle still resided in the old house in the deep forest that covered the upreaching peaks. They wouldn't be here much longer a mining company having bought this land despite the young boy's uncle's resistance. But such thoughts were not on the boy's mind now.
The six year old watched in fascination and awe as his mother moved. Every motion was grace personified, red and white silk flowing effortlessly from one deceptively beautiful strike to the next. The fan in her hands appeared to be nothing more than a decoration, the dance nothing more than a thing of art to watch and enjoy. However Shinomori Misato had made it clear to her son that this was not the case. The dance was a disguise for a kata that the Oniwabanshu ninja had developed after the Meiji restoration, when swords became illegal to carry and the practice of martial arts forbade for those outside of government service. So the ninja had adapted and disguised their killing motions behind a veneer of gentle grace and soft dance steps. But the true intent of the motions were never forgotten, the reality of the dance never lost.
As she finished Misato told her son something that would guide him for years, and possibly affect his decisions for the rest of his life.

"Always remember Aoshi, remember this. You are more than your past, you are more than your father, and you are more than me. Your life is what you make of it. You are the last Oniwabanshu ninja Aoshi, just like your great grandfather was, become the best."

"Hai oka-san." swore Shinomori Aoshi.

His mother contracted a fatal illness and died the winter of that year.

The picture was old, it's colors muted and faint. It was Aoshi's uncle, who had cared for him after his mother died. A trace smile tugged at his mouth as he remembered the old man, his father for all intents and purposes. Old man Fudai had been a master of the arts of the ninja and taught Aoshi much. He had also been the one to instill in the young boy his drive to master as many styles as he could come in contact with.

"In diversity there is strength." the old man's voice sounded in Aoshi's mind unbidden. "The purest steel is beautiful but weak, to make a truly strong weapon you must blend many different metals. That's what you must be boy, an alloy of the finest arts on this earth."

He had followed his uncle's advice as much as he could, ignoring the "normal" life that others his age had. His uncle taught him everything, from what Aoshi thought was relatively mundane mathematics and sciences, to the most obscure Oniwabanshu technique. When Aoshi's father Geese Howard had stolen the scrolls that held the clans history and knowledge Shinomori Fudai had become the last refuge of that learning. The old man was careful to impart as much of this to Aoshi as he could. Eventually Fudai realized that he could not provide for all of Aoshi's education, both martial and otherwise.
So with one last word he sent the boy to study with an old friend of his, Shiranui Hanzo.

"Boy, men will judge you when they have no right to. You will be called an assassin and a coward by those who do not understand you. You must be beyond these petty individuals and concentrate and these two concepts. Never fight unless you are sure that there is a reason to, but when you do fight, win. There is nothing more important than those two principles."

Aoshi put the picture down and held the gold chain studying it intensely. This was the most recent addition to this collection of his past, and the one item that he was still unsure if he should keep or not. He opened the circular pendant and gazed at two faces that brought a more confusing mass of feelings than he had thought possible.

Inside were two small pictures, his mother, and his father Geese Howard. The pendant had belonged to Geese though he seldom if ever wore it, and Aoshi had broken into the Tokyo Metropolitan police forces evidence storage to get it. His entire life Aoshi had been raised to believe that his father had seduced his mother for the sake of obtaining the scrolls of the Oniwabanshu. Though he found nothing written in any of Geese's possessions that led him to believe otherwise he had found out about this. It had altered his opinion about his father, but in a way he was not entirely sure of. The man had been everything Aoshi was against, a thief, a murderer, and an evil man who held that human life had a dollar value. Still he had kept this photo, this remnant of a woman he had supposedly used for one purpose and then cast aside as he continued on his way.

Aoshi shut the pendant and gripped until his knuckles were turning white, though his face never changed. Once again he considered destroying it, once again he weighed the option of excising this piece of his past entirely. And once again he loosened his grasp and put the golden chain back into the wood box. His past was a part of him, to deny even that one piece would be to turn his back on the reason he had become what he had. Shinomori Aoshi had done many things in his life, and at many times lied in order to further his goals, but he would not lie to himself.

Gently, almost reverently, he replaced the items back into the box, hesitating when he picked up the kimono. He looked at the patterns of it surface, remembering every second of the dance and how it flowed with every motion his mother made. He thought of the girl asleep in the next room and how she would look with this on. It would fit, both physically and possibly in another sense also. Perhaps it was time to treat this as what it was, a particularly beautiful piece cloth. Aoshi considered it; he loved her enough to give it her, but something else within him protested. Then he shook his head and replaced the kimono in the box. Maybe later he would give this to Mai, but not now, there were too many reasons not to remind himself of what happened years ago. There was also something disturbing about the woman he loved wearing a kimono of his mother's.

Then the box was back where it rested in the safe and Aoshi sat on the couch placing the thick file in front of him. This was a different dilemma entirely. The one thing both his mother and his uncle had impressed upon him was that he must retake the records his father had stolen. Both for the clan's honor, and more importantly so that he could master the training that was his legacy. After Terry had killed Geese, alleviating Aoshi from the responsibility of doing so, the Oniwabanshu ninja had infiltrated the office where Geese had kept most of his records. There Aoshi had found and taken through stealth what he had prepared for so long to take by force. He had also absconded with this, Geese's file of his enemies and allies.

For his entire life Aoshi had prepared for his confrontation with his father, and when he had been denied that he was left purposeless, directionless. Then he had studied the files Geese had kept on his enemies, on Terry Bogard, his brother Andy, and Shiranui Mai. And Aoshi had remembered. Another time that would be forever etched within his mind.

It was strange that they were not friends. Both were outsiders, his mixed heritage and questionable background marking Aoshi as much a target as Andy was. Aoshi had been sent to study Shiranui ryu ninjutsu when his capacity became more than uncle Fudai's ability. However he lived at a boarding house and for the first time, at the age of thirteen, attended public school. It was difficult for the quiet introspective boy who was far more serious about everything than anyone thought he should be. He had reason to be. Two months after he moved Aoshi received word that his uncle had died in a car crash. Then, like Andy, he was truly alone.

No one ever physically attacked him after the first week; the few confrontations were similar to his childhood, short and filled with pain. But after school in class he thought he could find solace, and was denied that. Even there the prejudice that hounded him in school was prevalent. Andy Bogard was no different. Despite this they simply did not get along, they avoided each other whenever possible and exchanged a mutually cold reaction if they were forced to associate. However they were so similar it was inevitable that they both attracted the attention of the same girl.

At first Mai thought that they were arrogant, or at least aloof. As she trained with them she began to discover that she had been wrong. Andy simply didn't care what anyone else thought of him and Aoshi had more important things on his mind. She took a liking to them both and made it her mission in life to make have fun. Aoshi and Andy however did not cooperate. They both liked her but not each other.

They were an odd trio, two boys that were so different from everyone else and a girl that everyone else tried to be like. Mai was a firebrand, a giggling package of trouble and energy behind a cute face and dancing eyes. Andy was a quiet reserved young man whose only interest seemed to be knowledge. Aoshi was driven, but his friendship with Mai exposed him to a life he had not know existed. Two years passed with their relationship becoming more questionable. They retained their mutual dislike of each other but swallowed it when they were with Mai. She was something they both needed. A sparkle in their blackened lives. However they never grew close Andy and Aoshi, the two boys separated the instant the one common bond they found left.

Aoshi threw himself into his martial studies with even more intensity, for that was more time he spent at Hanzo-sensei's and therefore more time he spent near Mai. Andy also increased his study time, even though it was for different reasons. It was not long that they became rivals, each attempting to improve more than the other had. This was done out of a mutual dislike they had for each other more than anything else.

Then it became apparent that Mai regarded Aoshi as dear friend and Andy as puzzle she would solve. Despite the fact that most boy's his age would have leapt at the chance to have a girl like Mai as a girlfriend, Andy was simply not interested in such matters. This simply intensified the dislike Aoshi held for Andy. The American began to feel the same way towards Aoshi, as it became apparent that they were not equals. Aoshi had used his passion and anger to further feed his determination while Andy merely kept them locked away. It came down to that Aoshi was better at the one thing Andy cared about, while Andy had what Aoshi wanted and didn't care.

Then it ended.

It was spring again. The nights whispered mercurial promises to Aoshi's sixteen-year-old soul, the wind heavy with the scent of cherry blossoms and excitement. He felt a calling within his heart that could not be denied. The tiled rooftops of the city became a jungle through which he danced unseen and unheard. Aoshi felt free then as he leaped, swung, and slid from one end of the city to the other. He could forget everything but the blood roaring in his ears and the feeling of his heart pounding against his chest.

Then one night it happened. Whether by destiny or chance Aoshi found himself on rooftop overlooking the Shiranui household. The master's family had kept the place traditional and several old sakura (cherry) trees grew in their yard. He watched as blossoms floated idly to the ground, if not for the noise of the city behind him it might have been his old home. Loneliness and emptiness filled him then and a wild thought came to distract his mind. He would stealth into this place and find Mai. He would tell her how he felt with no one else around. Then she would answer and he would know whether or not it was worth staying here. If the life others talked of was worth working for.
It was a sure thing that if he was caught he would not be allowed to study here and that would mean more time away from Mai but Aoshi had to know. He had to know if he could do this, could infiltrate his masters home. But mostly he had to know about Mai, he had to know if he even had a chance.

So with fear and excitement in his heart Shinomori Aoshi vaulted to the top of the tall stone wall that surrounded the Shiranui household and ran towards the back of the house.

He would have made any hunting cat jealous, so sure were his footsteps along rounded top of the wall. Aoshi launched from the wall and alighted on a strong, thick limb of on of the old trees. So graceful were his movements that not a single extra blossom fell to mark his passing. Thought ran lightning quick through his mind as Aoshi planned what he should do. He knew he could be spotted on the ground but the roof was so ancient that it could not be trusted. The young man stretched his senses to their limit searching for some clue to where she might be, and found it. Her voice was faint and almost out hearing but he could detect it, and the night breeze carried the perfume of her hair to him.

It came from behind the main building, near a smaller darkened structure. Aoshi knew this to be the bathhouse from the times he had visited here. But the signs were too obvious to be from the bathhouse; they came from outside of it. With his course set he dropped soundlessly to the gravel path. And dodging the patches of light that shone from the house Aoshi padded swiftly and silently around the house. He rounded a corner and heard her voice more clearly now. Mai was humming a nameless tune, her voice lilting melodically through the air. There seemed to be no other sound to Aoshi. Even the cicada's who could normally be heard twenty-four hours a day were quieted, seemingly for her song.

Aoshi could tell from her voice that she was behind the small building and instinctively moved to a tree that grew along side of it. He landed ghost-like on a branch and moved to see what below. Just as he came around the corner Aoshi heard the splash of water and her tune paused. Aoshi ended up seeing a lot more of Mai than he had intended.
Mai had just emptied a bucket of cold water over her head and stood poised to enter the tub of hot water in front of her. She was framed in the moonlight, the water sparkling and glistening as it ran over her skin. From his angle Aoshi could see every inch of her, and he reacted naturally. He froze.

Terror reached up strangled his throat, choking off any sounds that might have exited his agape mouth. Fear and guilt churned in his stomach, turning his knuckles white as he gripped the tree frantically. Every moral or upstanding part of him screamed at Aoshi to shut his eyes and turn away. However it was a lost cause. Ninja or not, revenge driven driven youth or not, Aoshi was also human and this was the first naked girl he had ever seen. A primal part of his body and mind took over, told the rest to shove it, and watched as Mai slipped into the warm water of the bath.

She washed slowly, luxuriantly, allowing the water to soothe and relax her. Aoshi was held captive by the sight of her; he could no more turn away than he could stop the tide. He engraved her into his mind, memorizing every curve and the flex of her muscles. Then Mai dipped below the water and resurfaced, rinsing her red flowing hair. She settled back against the edge of tub with a contented sigh, arms resting beneath the surface, her breasts half covered by the suds floating in the moonlit water.

Somehow this snapped Aoshi out of his trance, and he became aware of his heart's pounding. It was so loud that it astounded him that she could not hear it's beat. He valiantly attempted to collect his thoughts to concentrate on what needed to be done, but it was useless. His focus was water flowing through his grasp, the harder he tried to calm down the more vivid the scene in front of him became. He could only see her beautiful face in wan light, feel the pull on his soul to be near her, to feel her warmth. His courage however was shot; his absolute determination was not so absolute. He had not been prepared for this; he would have to wait until tomorrow night.

Aoshi had almost convinced himself to leave when a sudden intake of breath from her caught his attention. Mai's chin raised and lowered slightly, her lips barely parted, and her eyes closed. The young man watched puzzled by this change until the rocking of her head became faster and more rhythmic. Realization of what Mai was doing hit him hard and the boiling in his stomach which had quieted for a moment started up again full force. Any inhibitions he had possessed however, never had a chance. He was too enthralled by her to leave now, fascinated and captivated. Her motions increased and one, soapy, dripping hand emerged to cup her foam-covered breast.

Aoshi could feel himself reacting to her display but made no movement. Fear still reigned in his mind, that if he were discovered this would end, and he did not want it to end. Mai turned her head side to side biting her lip to contain the sounds she was on the verge of making. Her hand had moved to her erect nipple and circled it, and she began to buck with her entire body, waves splashing over the edge of the tub. He couldn't move, he could only stare, intent on every sound she made, still smelling the natural perfume of her skin and hair. Then her mouth opened her lips attempting to form a word, or a name. Aoshi leaned forward his attitude different now, what was she saying? Every iota of his being was cocked forward, intent on her voice, hope building wildly in his chest. Then her gasps became louder, the word recognizable.

"A...ohhmmmn..A..aann..Andy! MM! Andy!"

Aoshi felt his heart rip in two and in its place formed a great, yawning, black void that dragged him, unprotesting into it's darkness. Aoshi's head dropped and he stared at the ground blinking repeatedly. He became oblivious to everything else; the world ceased to exist. If his hands had not reflexively tightened instead of loosened then he would have fallen from his place among the falling blossoms. Long after Mai had toweled herself off and returned to the main building, long after all the lights had gone out in the Shiranui household, Aoshi remained where he was, unmoving.

Finally he broke, and though his face never changed and his eyes still blinked continually trying staunch their flow, tears flowed down his face, wetting the petals below him. Shinomori Aoshi knew his soul was falling into a rift it might never recover from, and he didn't care. There was nothing left in him now, no reason, no hope, nothing. He felt like he was drowning in tar and didn't fight it. The blackness was everywhere inside him and Aoshi shut his eyes to hurry it along. Let it end, he prayed silently, just let it end. Then his fists clenched, anger flared up in his heart and surged through his veins.

"No," he whispered. "no no no no no NO!"

His eyes snapped open and he exploded out of the tree and to the ground, over the wall and to the next rooftop before anyone in house could raise up out of bed to see what had happened. He ran over the tiled roofs and through the city, his lungs busting, rage and sadness fueling every step. Finally on the lonely rooftop of the school building he stopped staring the ground, his fists still clenched.

Everything. He had lost everything. He had been denied his father, his mother had died and he could barely remember her, his uncle was gone, his birthright stolen. Those around him would never accept him because of a past he had no part of, he had no future save vengeance, and now the one thing that had brought him joy, had pulled his heart out of the darkness was taken from him. And to Aoshi it seemed that she had been taken by the one person who didn't want her, who didn't care. His head snapped back and roared in fury, as tears of heartbreak streamed from his eyes. His energy spent Aoshi crumpled to the concrete roof, falling to his knees, his hands held in claws before him. His breath slowed, he stopped gasping, but he remained unchanged.

"Now what do I do?" he asked himself. "What can I do?"

"Stop whining boy!" came a harsh deep voice. Though he had never heard it before, and knew it to be a phantom conjured by his fevered mind, Aoshi knew who it was. It was his father Geese Howard. Aoshi confronted the man he had only seen in pictures mentally.

"Who are you to say such things? You, who has no remorse, no heart, no love?" Aoshi snarled back. The phantom Geese laughed and answered.

"I am someone who realized long ago that life is not fair. It is cruel and viscous. It has no place for the weak or those who cling to useless sentiment and ridiculous morality. Despair, loss, failure, these will follow you your entire life boy. You can either let it crush you and those around you. Or you take what you are strong enough to! So boy, what will it be? I don't think you're strong enough to beat this, how did you ever expect to beat me!" With that the ghost laughed and faded from Aoshi's mind. The young man remained there, staring at his now loose hands and wondering at what his own heart had told him.

"NO." he whispered aloud. "No, I'm not beaten."

Aoshi raised his head and stared at the starless sky. He got up slowly his legs still unsteady. His eyes never left the sky. It was all still in him the rage, the sorrow, and the emptiness. But now, there was place for it to go, a channel for it all. His determination fed off these emotions like a vampire.

"All the gods and Heaven and all the demons in Hell bear witness to this." he said to the sky. "This is not over! I will not be beaten by my own doubt and cowardice! I will be back, for vengeance upon my father and for her! The gods help you if you don't deserve her by then Andy Bogard. For you will receive no mercy from me."
With that Shinomori Aoshi turned and started towards his "home", the boarding house. His eyes were empty of sorrow, empty of anger, and empty of hope, filled only cold, clear purpose. He could no longer stay here that was obvious; Mai was just too much of a distraction. China, that was the source of it all, of all styles of martial arts. He would go there and begin preparation for what was to come.

Three years in China and three years back home, here in Japan. It had not been easy for the young man, but neither did he desire it to be. He had needed a grindstone on which to become a razor's edge; trial and difficulty were just that. For those years he spent in China, despite being penniless, homeless, and on the run for most of the time Aoshi was almost happy. The Chinese government had banned the practice of martial arts by anyone not part of the official "People's Republic Wushu" team, so finding those whom he sought had been difficult enough. Making them accept a half-Japanese half-American into their confidence was another task altogether.

But through it all he had a purpose, a goal, both short term and long term. It was enough to make him forget the past and concentrate on the present. When Aoshi returned he spent his time preparing and studying, honing himself into the weapon had wished himself to be. The job had come almost accidentally, and the money along with it. He had been brought into contact with old classmates, fought with them, and considered it all practice for his own destiny. Then he learned of his father's defeat at the hands of Terry Bogard, and once again he had no direction, no path to place himself on.
It had been almost a side thought to break into Geese Howard's office, to retrieve the items that he had prepared so long to kill for. It had been a whim to abscond with his father's file of enemies and allies. Aoshi had wanted to see what kind of man his father was, reflected in the faces of his foes. Some were rivals like Geese's half brother Krauser, (the link between Aoshi and this man was so faint as to be negligible) then there were the others. The faces he recognized. Aoshi then remembered his second goal.

She had changed throughout the years, but not much. The fire still danced in her eyes even in the pictures his father's agents had provided him. Mai was still the girl he had fallen in love with. His heart still remembered even when his mind had forgotten. Then Andy's file his old classmate and rival. If anything the American had changed even less, still the same studious attitude, the same serious nature, the same lack of interest in Mai, despite her obvious and continued interest in him. Aoshi's course had been set six years ago and had nothing else to focus on. So he had fulfilled his promise.

Now that was over. Aoshi had the presence of the woman he loved and had settled with all those who might interfere. True to his word Aoshi had given Andy Bogard his ki back. In return Terry and Joe had promised not to say anything about Andy until Aoshi told Mai, and Andy himself had left for Tibet with Ryu as soon as he had regained his health. Ken Masters' injuries proved to be less severe than originally thought and he had been eager to return to his wife and son. Though he still considered the ninja cowards because of how they had defeated him, Ken was also aware that they had shown him a considerable amount of mercy in not simply killing him. Blue Mary had returned to the States to continue her work as a bounty hunter and Mai had run up an incredible phone bill talking to her. Aoshi still wondered what exactly their relationship was, but ignored it for the time being.

Aoshi looked at the file in front of him. It was this that had told him of Terry Bogard's own loss, of Lily McGuire, and Suria. Ripper and Hopper, his father's thugs, had done their job well. There was a record of everything any of them had done up until Geese's death. This file had sent everything into motion, now that it was over he had no need for it's content's.
Then why was he so reluctant to discard it? Aoshi asked himself. The answer troubled him. Terry, Andy, Joe, they were not enemies, but they were most assuredly not friends. The line they walked was thin and Aoshi wasn't sure they could be trusted. It was probably just paranoia talking he knew, but still...

Aoshi shook his head folded the file closed. He paused and removed Mai's section from the case. He replaced the rest and closed the safe, making sure the picture looked exactly as it had before. Then he walked to the kitchen and found a match. He slid the door to the balcony open silently stepped out on it ignoring the chill wind. Aoshi turned his back to the breeze and laid the file on the ground. Holding it with a bare foot Aoshi lit the match carefully and held it to Mai's file. He watched the flame spread, making sure that every part that could burn did. The wind took the ashes and spread them across the sky.
He stood for a moment, looking out over the city. That was one part done, one part of the past released so he could move on with the future. He entered his apartment again, turning to make sure the door closed behind him quietly.

"Kinda late to be taking a walk isn't it?" came Mai's voice from behind him. Aoshi spun and saw her standing behind in short pink bathrobe of her own, a friendly smirk on her lips. He opened his mouth to answer but wasn't really given the opportunity. The red haired girl bounced over to him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and silenced him with a deep kiss. Aoshi's eyes widened for a brief moment then closed as he once again lost himself in the overwhelming flood of sensation she was to him. His arms quickly encircled her waist and pressed her too him. Mai smiled through the kiss and giggled internally. Then he stopped and broke from her. She looked up at him, her head cocked to the side slightly.

"What's wrong? She asked seeing trouble behind his eyes. Aoshi cupped Mai's face staring into her brown eyes. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

"...Mai..." he started unsuccessfully. "...we, we need to talk."

Later they were back in bed, Mai sound asleep and breathing peacefully, her arms around his chest. Aoshi cradled her against him stroking her cheek softly. He couldn't sleep. They had talked for hours, Aoshi haltingly telling his story. Despite this however, guilt still burned in him. With everything she meant to him, despite all she had done for him, he hadn't told her. Oh, he had told her about his father, who he was and what he meant to him. He had explained why he had left all those years ago, and why he had come back. But he had left out one part of the story, the one piece of the picture he couldn't bear to fill.

About what had happened with Andy.

How he had used his victory over Andy, and how he hadn't told her that night. He shook his head. That wasn't right, and wasn't he the one to always say never lie to yourself? No, he had lied to her. He loved her more than life itself and he had lied to her.

Aoshi stared at nothing as he listened to her breath. It would be several hours before the sun rose. It would be several more before sleep finally claimed Shinomori Aoshi.

End Notes: Well there you have it. The reason behind Aoshi's Mai fixation. (like there needs to be any reason to have a Mai fixation other than Mai.) I hope this clears up any confusion left over from Kage no Mai 2. As always I'm open to suggestions. Regardless, let me know what you think! It may or may not change anything but I'd like to hear what your opinion of this stuff is. E-mail me at shinomori69@hotmail.com. Because of my disturbing lack of social life I'll probably answer.