Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Pottery 101 ❯ Moving Along ( Chapter 9 )

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters nor do I plan to make any profit from their use in this story. They belong to their respective owners.

Oops I did it again. No I didn't play with your heart and got lost in the game. I didn't update in like two or three months. Please forgive this very lazy author. But I have been thinking really hard about what to put in these last chapters and I was suffering from some serious writer's block. But fear not, I'll be updating faster from now on since, well I only have a few more chapters left in the story so they should be coming at ya faster than a speeding bullet. Oh yeah this chapter is dedicated to my sister. It's a birthday present since I have no money. I hope you like it nee-chan! On with the story!

“Speech”

`Thoughts'

(Change of Scene)

Chapter 9

It had been a week since Misao had made the journey to Hiko's shack to learn the art of pottery making for her beloved Aoshi-sama, and not once had Hiko Seijuro mentioned it. All he ever did was make her cook food, clean his shack and get firewood. And what did he do? Why he sat back on his lovely behind (I'm sure it really is lovely) and watched as she slaved away. He wanted to see just how bad she wanted to learn pottery making and she proved herself. She didn't complain one bit when she was doing her chores, in fact she would wear that bright smile of hers all the time and it impressed him greatly, though he would never voice his opinion. She had indeed matured from that genki girl who would quicker kick you in the shins before taking an order from anyone. She was still genki, oh yes she had energy to burn, but she had definitely matured.

He watched her as she prepared his tea. He really wasn't one for tea but she forced him to drink it. She did everything perfectly and in silence. He guessed that she was so accustomed to making that ice block's tea that she must feel weird when she didn't do it. She sat back and sipped her tea. He watched her well. She never did engage in conversation with him when they were drinking tea. She would just sit there quietly. But today was different. She looked as though she wanted to say something. She would straighten her back every now and then and then she would lean forward and open her mouth slightly. But she would suddenly stop in the middle of getting the word out and then go back to sipping her tea. He was getting tired of waiting so he decided to get it out of her.

“Just say what it is you want to say Itachi.” He smirked when she turned a shocked gaze on him.

“Well I was just wondering… well I just wanted to know.” She stopped half way again and this time Hiko rolled his eyes at her.

“Just get it out already Itachi. What has gotten into you these past few days?”

She narrowed her eyes at him. She was going to act polite and ask him nicely but no, he just had to be his usual jackass self. Her eyebrows started to twitch and her mouth was taking on a weird look. She finally couldn't take it anymore and threw all reason out the window. She slammed down her tea cup and growled.

“You want to know what's gotten into me? I'll tell you what has gotten into me, Hiko dear. I have been here one whole week, slaving away like a jackass while you sit back on your behind and do nothing, and not once have you mentioned anything to do with pottery. I don't know if you realize that I only now have three weeks to learn how to make pottery and perfect it. I refuse to give Aoshi-sama anything that is less than perfect and I'll be damned if you're the cause of it. Got it old man?” She had practically yelled the whole thing out and was now catching her breath back. Hiko looked at her stunned for a mere second before his face darkened and his face took on a dangerous look. Boy was he pissed.

“Who do you think you're calling an old man, weasel? You've got one nasty attitude little gaki. Must be because you're so short.” He dodged a kunai thrown at him skillfully.

“Who you calling short, you old bat?” she snarled at him.

“You, you midget. Do I need to get you something to stand on so you can hear me better from way down there?” he smirked over at her and just moved his head aside as another kunai whizzed past his head.

“At least when I walk through the doorway I don't knock out pieces of the walls.”

“At least I don't speak in the language of killer screech.”

“Yeah well at least I don't look like some kind of bat.”

“Have some respect for the cape. Only those who have mastered the Hiten Mitsurugi get to wear this.” He gave her a cocky grin and puffed his chest out proudly.

“Yeah well you still look like a bat.” She grinned proudly when he scowled down at her.

“Yeah and you look like a weasel, so what's your point?”

“I do not look like a weasel! I'll have you know that a lot of guys find me pretty you know.”

“Are you sure they're not blind? People are crazy these days, talking to weasels and all.”

“Why I ought to skin you alive.”

“Like to see you try, weasel girl.”

“So when are you going to start teaching me pottery making?” She practically almost blew the roof of the shack with how loud she was shouting.

“Monday weasel. Happy?” he yelled it at the same volume she did. They looked at each other and then burst out laughing probably because they realized how odd their shouting match had been.

“Ah you're not so bad Hiko-san.” She took a sip of her tea and smiled.

“”You still have to do the chores.” Her face fell at once and Hiko grinned to himself. He hadn't had this much fun teasing someone since his baka deshi had last visited.

MEANWHILE BACK AT THE AOIYA…

Okon and Omasu were missing Misao badly. They had no one who was willing to listen to them when they wanted to talk about Hiko-sama and his incredible sexiness. Kuro was of no use. He wouldn't listen to you unless it was gossip and Shiro and Okina ran for the hills at the mention of Hiko Seijuro and Aoshi, speaking to him was like speaking to a brick wall. He wouldn't even blink his eyes. It was just the same old cold stare that he perfected and used to scare off everyone. Well not everyone. Misao was immune to it. They didn't know how she could just sit there and not be frozen but they supposed it was because she loved him so much that it probably bounced right off of her.

Speaking of Aoshi, he didn't go to the temple as much as he used to. He was present at the Aoiya for most of the day, taking care of Oniwabanshu business or watching over the restaurant. He even went as far as carrying out a meal to costumer. Of course he almost frightened him away but he still did it. And now he was dealing with a rather distraught boy who was upset because his precious Misao-hime wasn't there to accept his gifts.

“But I don't understand, Misao-hime is always here. What happened to her? Did she move away?” the boy, who looked strangely like Kenshin with brown hair, looked completely lost. Aoshi's eyebrow twitched. So it seemed that Misao had many callers, something he didn't like. He had already dealt with three earlier in the week. He of course had scared them off with his murderous glare. In all three cases he had been in the study looking over some documents and Okon or Omasu would come to him and say that someone wanted to see him, he being the Okashira in Misao's absence. When he saw that it was those brats that most people called young men, he would glare at them and then return to the study in a foul mood. And this idiot right now was really making him angry. The boy would not give up. No glare could stop him from seeing his Misao-hime. Okon and Omasu had told him many times that she was out of town but he would not listen.

“Misao-hime is sick isn't she? That's why she isn't serving today. She's so thoughtful, not wanting to get the customers sick too.” His face got a dreamy look to it and Aoshi had to hold back a laugh at how funny he looked. “Please give her this for me. Now my day won't be complete, I didn't get to see her beautiful face.” He handed Aoshi a small box tied with a pink ribbon and left with his head hanging down. `You're not the only one whose day isn't complete without the sight of her beautiful face' he thought as he made his way back to the study to continue looking over some documents.

ONE WEEK LATER…

“Weasel you're hopeless. One week has passed and still you cannot shape the clay into a simple tea bowl.” He picked up the lump of clay that was supposedly a tea bowl. Misao released a sigh. She was really improving but she still had yet to actually make the tea bowls look, well, like tea bowls. But what she had just done was a masterpiece compared to what she had made earlier in the week. She took the clay into her hand and mushed it back together. Was she ever going to make these things right? And the snow did not make it any better. She had to go get snow in buckets and then melt it to be able to use it. Everything was covered in snow. And of course that meant she had to get more firewood to keep the place warm. She asked herself many times, why did Aoshi have to be born in January? She had to put away her oniwabanshu uniform and don a gi and hakama. She didn't have a problem with wearing it. She was just so accustomed to wearing her shorts that the hakama felt a little weird. She sucked in some air and told herself to calm down. She began the tideous process of re-shaping the clay into a tea bowl.

Hiko looked at her as she began to re-shape the clay. Her eyes shone with determination. He was very much impressed by how quickly she had learnt to work the clay with her hands. She still did not however master shaping out the tea bowls, but she was coming along well. She reminded him of Kenshin when he was younger when he had now started to teach him the Hiten Mitsurugi technique. The man he called `Baka Deshi' had been anything from an idiot apprentice. He had never seen someone so young determined to do something. He supposed because the memory of not being able to protect the ones he loved burned in his mind. It was almost the same reason why she was learning the art of pottery making. To protect the one she loved. Okon and Omasu had told him in detail what had happened to Shinimori. How he became a heartless killer in order to become the best. It must have broken her heart to see him like that, the man who took care of her when she was a child. The one person she truly adored.

“Tell me weasel, why you're going through so much trouble to make this for Shinimori?” he watched as she stopped molding the clay, her eyes focused on the ground.

“Because I think that he would like this gift.” She raised her eyes to see Hiko looking at her intensely.

“Couldn't you just go out and buy a set for him? And don't tell me that you had no money. You could have easily borrowed some from Okina.” He watched as she shook her head at him and grinned sheepishly.

“I didn't want to borrow anymore money from him or anyone else. I happen to owe a lot of people money.”

“You go through all of this for that ice block. What will you do if you can't shape the clay into a tea bowl by the week before his birthday?”

“I will shape the clay into a tea bowl by that time. In fact the entire set will be done by next week. You watch Hiko, it will be done.” Her eyes shone with determination as she stared at him.

“So you say weasel. For your sake I hope it will be finished.”

THREE HOURS LATER

“Hiko-san! I did it, I did it. I shaped the clay into a tea bowl! Look at it, isn't it just beautiful?” Misao pointed excitedly down at the tea bowl. Hiko was impressed. The weasel actually did it but it was just one tea bowl she molded, she still had three more bowls to make.

“Good for you Misao. Now get to work so you can finish up the tea bowls and we can fire them.” He noticed that she was looking at him like he had grown three heads. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“You called me Misao, you never call me Misao.” She looked at him with starry eyes. He raised his eyebrows at her. “You're in love with me aren't you Hiko-san?”

“What the hell are you talking about weasel? I'm not in love with you.”

“You're very handsome Hiko but my heart belongs to Aoshi Shinimori and no one else.” She folded her arms over her chest and nodded her head. She swore she saw a tiny blush on Hiko's cheeks. She wasn't that evil to tell him he was blushing. “Now run along, you lovesick man. I have work to finish.” She made shooing motions with her hands. Hiko left quickly just in case she decided his `love' was requited after all.

He smirked to himself. She said he was handsome. He knew not even who was so taken with that ice-block could deny his good looks. He made a mental note to make her flustered. He was already brewing a plan in his head.

BACK AT THE AOIYA…

Aoshi sighed to himself. He managed to sneak away from the Aoiya to go meditate in the temple. He wondered how it was that someone so young managed the Aoiya and being the Okashira at the same time. He was even more impressed by the fact that she made time to bring him tea twice for the day. No wonder she slept like a log in the night. When he was made the Okashira after Misao's grandfather died, he was younger than she was but he didn't have to manage the Aoiya. She was truly a brilliant girl. He knew it the moment he set eyes on her as a child. Of course his feelings for her back then were not the same as they are now. He always loved her, just he loved her like a little sister back then. Now his love for her was so very different. He loved her as the woman she was. Yes he saw her as a woman, contrary to popular belief. He smiled when he remembered how she had vowed to make him smile. Only five years old but determined to make everyone around her smile.

FLASHBACK

“Aoshi-sama, Aoshi-sama!” He turned to find her running towards him awkwardly. She was in a kimono and her hair was loose, flying all over the place. It was rare to see the little girl in a kimono and her hair out of its usual braid. She came running to him, a smile painted on her pretty face. “Aoshi-sama! I made a paper…” she didn't get to finish her sentence, she tripped on a rock and fell down in the dirt. He ran over to her quickly and heard the strangest thing. She was laughing. He helped her up and straightened out her kimono as she continued to laugh. It was rare for a child so young to fall and laugh about it. He would have expected her to cry because she was embarrassed but she was laughing instead.

“I told Hannya I would fall down in this stupid thing. He didn't want to listen to me.” She smiled brightly at Aoshi as he tried to dust off the dirt from her kimono.

“So why did Hannya make you wear a kimono?” he raised his eyebrows several times and she giggled as she touched them with her tiny hands.

“He said that I'll look pretty in a kimono and my hair loose. He made Okon-san and Omasu-san dress me up and comb my hair.” She pouted cutely at him. She suddenly gasped and looked down at the ground. Under her foot was the paper crane she had made. Tears started to well up in the corner of her eyes and her lips quivered. Aoshi readied himself for the loud crying but it never came. She was crying but not her normal wailing type of crying. She was crying quietly as she held the now crumpled paper in her hand. He bent down and ruffled her hair.

“Now don't be sad Misao-hime, I'll help you make another one okay.” She nodded at him, tears still running down her cheeks. He wiped them away with his thumb and then pinched her nose. It effectively made her giggle. She stretched her hands up at him, signaling that she wanted to be carried. He lifted her into his arms and she smiled happily.

“Aoshi-sama?” she raised her tiny hands to touch his nose. “You seem so sad, is something wrong?”

He wondered how it was that she could possibly tell he was feeling sad. He shook his head at her. He couldn't possibly tell her that he had killed someone just a half hour ago. Her Aoshi-sama didn't kill people. He could still see his hands covered in blood.

“Then why does your face look so sad? Are you feeling sick?” she questioned as they made their way to her room.

He shook his head at her again. “I'm fine Misao-hime, don't worry about me.”

“Do you promise that you'll always smile for me Aoshi-sama?”

“I will always smile for you my Misao-hime.”

“And when you do not smile I will make you smile. I promise to always make you smile.” She stuck her tongue out at him and he couldn't hold back the smile that he was holding back all this time.

END FLASHBACK

He frowned as he thought of how much he hurt her. He remembered the look on her face when he had told her he never wanted to see her again. Her eyes had lost its brightness almost immediately, they had looked dull. He had never seen her eyes like that before and he was the one that caused that look of pain on her face. He never wanted to see that look on her face again. He vowed from now on to protect her happiness as a dragon would protect its treasure.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Well that's the end of this chapter. As I said before this chapter was written for my beloved sister as a birthday present. Happy Birthday Marie! I hope you liked it. I wrote it just for you. And well of course the readers. I really appreciate all your reviews, they always manage to make me smile uncontrollably for half the day. I apologize for neglecting the story for three months. I was suffering from serious writer's block. Just like Gwen Stefani! Man I really envy you people who can buy manga so easily. There are no manga stores in the Caribbean. That sucks major ass man and there are a lot of anime fans out here. I really don't understand why they don't sell them. They would make so much money.

Oh for all of those you who don't know what I was talking about when I called Misao, Misao-hime. Hime means princess in Japanese and is added on to the end of the name just like you would add chan. It's the female version of sama. Okay I'll end my babbling, the readers are shouting “Shut up, just shut up, shut up” at me so well ja ne for now.

REVIEW THANKS

Kohaku Rose - arigato for your very nice review

Exquiste Cherry - Yes Hiko is such a hot grump. Lol. Glad you like the story keep reviewing.

Jeez - Yes I can't stand Megumi either. We should form some kind of club.

LegolasEstelar - Hugs back. Yes thanks so much for your review.

Oniwabanshu - Glad you like the chapter. Aoshi is so missing Misao.

Marie - Thanks a lot Marie no nee-chan (Marie big sister)

Evil teddy bear - funny I think all teddy bears are evil. Burn them all! haha! Thanks so much for the great review. The story isn't finished yet though. Two more chapters left.

To anyone else I forgot that reviewed, I thank you also. Enjoy until next time!