Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Meiji Errors ❯ Meiji Errors ( One-Shot )

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Misao Makimachi was reading a newspaper as she washed dishes in the Aoiya and daydreaming about what had happened last night. Aoshi had recieved yet another offer from an important government official and, with the Aoiya in financial trouble and Jiiya's health, as strong as he was, deteriorating in old age, he had decided to at least humor the man. The government had taken this as an emphatic "yes" - or a "yes" as emphatic as the "Ice-man of Kyoto" could give. So there was some kind of gala ball at some or other fancy ballroom in Kyoto last night. Aoshi was supposed to give some kind of speech and everyone had been driving him crazy trying to help him write it. Jiiya wanted credit for all the "joy and wonder I brought to your growing up years, teaching you the ways of the Oniwabanshuu!" and burst into very noisy tears when Aoshi just said "No..."

There might have been a hint of a smile behind those ice-blue eyes.

Misao giggled at the way Jiiya had carried on like a five-year-old, then snapped right back to his old self when a pretty girl walked into the Aoiya. He had then proceeded to shrink like a deflated balloon at the sight of her rather stern-looking significant other and walked away mumbling about how Okina of the Oniwabanshuu should be able to win the girl no matter what. Jiiya certainly was a character sometimes, but Misao knew that Aoshi would indeed give credit where credit was due. She and Jiiya were not disappointed - Okina was indeed mentioned as a valuable component in Aoshi's development as a tactician. Credit was also given to his fallen friends - Hyottoko, Beshimi, Shikijou, and Hannya. Misao could have sworn she heard laughter at Aoshi's rather strained attempt to speak properly of his friends. A voice in her ear mentioning "a load of crock" and sounding suspiciously like Shikijou's had her giggling at inappropriate times and earning a thump on the head from Jiiya.

She could also have sworn that she saw a tear sparkling in Aoshi's eye when he wished his friends to rest in peace.

The gala had gone with relative uneventfulness, until Misao met up with the Chancellor of something or other - she couldn't be bothered to remember. He had been, to say the least, highly unenjoyable company - a lecherous man about ten years younger than Jiiya who had greeted Misao in a rather unpleasant manner. His advance was greeted in a doubly unpleasant manner by Misao, who had totally disregarded her surroundings and given the man a solid kick where it hurts. Her act had caused chaos, but she knew she had heard at least a few women encouraging her to get him good. Apparently, whatever this man's opinion of himself, he was not popular with the ladies. She shrugged it off as being her ears decieving her, but she could almost say for certain that she had heard Omasu's high-pitched voice with the encouraging women.

At Aoshi's insistence, the incident was not detailed in the papers - he said HE would take responsibility for the young woman's actions and would deal with her himself. The government officials were prepared to make quite a scandal of the event, but the one who had offered Aoshi the job had been fixed with a "certain look" by his wife. She had, apparently, been on the recieving end of the Chancellor's unacceptable actions herself. They had agreed to only publish that Misao had "appeared rude before the Chancellor." This was precisely how Misao had ended up washing dishes at the Aoiya. Turning her big green sad-kitten eyes on Aoshi had not exactly diverted his wrath entirely, but her reasoning behind her actions had earned her a reduced sentence. She could have sworn she saw his hands twitch towards his kodachi as she got to the heart of her explanation.

Then her eyes found the next word of the article that HAD made its way into the papers - and this particular paper was the English publication for all the foreigners living in Kyoto, since most of them were diplomats from other countries. Indeed, Misao could remember seeing quite a few of them at the gala - and had distinctly heard an Englishwoman's voice among the others. Frantically, her eyes darted up to the top of the article and she started speed-reading it over again, trying to determine the context of the particular word. To her dismay, the word made perfect sense in the content it was used.

"Oh -CRASH-!" yelled Misao, her swear word hidden by the sound of her dropping the bowl she was washing.

She dropped all she was doing, seized the paper and ran from the kitchen.

"Aoshi-sama! AOSHI-SAMA!" she bellowed, sprinting around the Oniwabanshuu's small property, attempting to find her beloved Okashira. "AOSHI-SAMAAAAAA!"

A rather sour-looking Aoshi Shinomori emerged from the bath house, wrapped in a bath yukata and frowning.

"Misao, what are you shouting for." he asked in his usual monotone, though his tone made the question into a statement.

"LOOK AT THIS!" she shrieked, brandishing the rather soggy newspaper in front of him in her clenched fist.

Aoshi calmly took hold of her wrist and carefully wrenched the paper from her hand.

"I see it." he stated, his eyes scanning the article. "What is the problem."

Enraged, Misao snatched the paper, flattened it out, and pointed at the sentence in question.

It is alleged that Misao Makimachi, the youngest member of the Oniwabanshuu and a well-known local girl, appeared nude before the Chancellor.

The following sentence mentioned something about an "agreement between the young woman and the Chancellor," thus backing up the context.

"AOSHI-SAMA!" she hollered again.

"--- appeared nude before the Chancellor," Aoshi mumbled to himself, reading the sentence.

Aoshi looked down and took in the sight of Misao, flushed and panting with rage and mortification.

"Misao... nude before the Chancellor..." he muttered again.

A twinkle appeared in his eye and the corners of his mouth slowly turned up - within moments, he was laughing out loud.

"Aoshi-sama..." Misao groaned, still highly embarrassed.

But then a funny thing happened. She took in Aoshi's new appearance - his eyes crinkled at the corners, then squeezing shut out of sheer mirth, his mouth smiling widely, his shoulders shaking. The same interesting twinkle met her eyes as well and soon a giggle escaped her lips. Moments later, she too was shaking with laughter. But hers was for a different reason. Her anger and red-faced dismay had melted entirely and she was thinking only one thing:

It was all worth it, because for the first time since she was eight years old, her Aoshi-sama was smiling and it was all because of her.