Rurouni Kenshin Fan Fiction ❯ Two Sides of a Sword ❯ A Temporary Peace ( Chapter 5 )

~~ A Temporary Peace ~~

AUTHORESS NOTE: Hee hee hee. Gomen for putting y'all in that cliffhanger last chapter. I make up! See?? Just be aware of some surprises....heheh...

Blade met flesh simultaneously and blood spewed out from wounds...

Misao's eyes widened at the sight of the man who had shielded her from harm.

"AOSHI-SAMA!!"

~~

Aoshi snapped awake before wincing in pain at the wound in his side. N-nani?

The last thing he remembered was reaching out for Misao, then darkness took over. Now, he was in his room. It seemed as if nothing had happened except that there was an agonizing pain in his side that made him realize that the attack on the Aoiya was real.

But...what happened? he thought.

The door slid open and an unfamiliar young woman stepped in, carying a tray of what seemed to be of food.

"Ara, you're awake!" the young woman said, gently setting down the tray. "Misao-chan's going to be happy."

"Who...are you?" Aoshi asked, still not moving from his spot.

"Watashi no Asarai Jun, a friend of your sister's," the woman introduced herself.

Jun was a young woman around Misao's age. Her midnight hair was kept in a tight bun with a dagger-like hairpin holding it up. She had bright emerald eyes; eyes that could see all. She seemed to smile a lot just like how she was right now.

"You've been asleep for more than three days, you know," she added.

Aoshi's eyes widened in shock for a moment, but then it changed back to the mask that he alwasy had. In his mind, though, the shock still remained. For just a small wound, he was out like a light. Unless he was hit in a vital spot...

"You said that Misao would be happy?" he asked, though, he wasn't all that surprised.

Jun stood up. "Maa, ever since you got injured, she's been watching over you like a hawk. You lost a lot of blood before I got to help, getting struck so deeply and all. Ikumi-neesan and I had to persuade her to rest before her condition got worse."

His heart seemed to stop at that moment, but his voice betrayed no emotion. "Her condition?"

Jun smiled again, but this time it was for reassurance. "She's exhausted herself out. Being up for at least two and a half days straight without food or water kind of exhausts your body's resources. She didn't even have the strength left to stand so we had to carry her back to her room. She's sleeping right now."

"Sou ka...."

"Well, when she wakes up, I'll tell her that you're okay," Jun concluded, sliding the door open. She turned around one last time. "And you stay put where you are. If you try to make any sudden movements, that wound's going to open up again."

With that, she slid the door closed and left. Aoshi looked down at his food, staring absentmindedly into the miso soup. He didn't have an appetite today, but he'd have to force himself to eat because his physical body apparantly was.

<outside>

Ikumi sat outside drawing with a little girl, keeping herself occupied. The girl was only two, but she was bright and observant like herself when she was her age. Also, the girl looked a lot like Ikumi, but there was a bit of someone else inside. That someone made her think about the past again. She smiled sadly. I wish he was here...

"Ikumi-neesan?" Jun's voice asked.

She turned her head. "Nani, Jun?"

"Ohayou, Jun-neechan!!" the little girl waved enthusiastically and then resumed on her...artwork.

"Your brother's awake," Jun said. "Although, I think he's a bit confused."

Ikumi smiled at the remark. "Maa, I don't blame him. How's Misao-chan?"

"Still asleep. I don't think she'll wake up until late afternoon."

"Arigatou, Jun."

Jun laughed. "You don't have to thank me, Ikumi-neesan. I am a doctor after all and sisters have to stick together, right?"

Ikumi smiled. "You're right...ne, Set-chan?"

The girl lifted her head, pigtails bouncing as they did. Her bright green eyes glistened in delight.

"Hai, 'kaachan?"

Just by looking in her daughter's eyes made Ikumi smiled even more. "You wanna see your uncle?"

Set-chan broke into glee. "Honto??"

"Aa. He's awake now, demo, be a good girl and behave, okay?"

"Hai!!!"

Boy, is oniichan going to be shocked....Ikumi thought amusingly.

<Aoshi's room>

He was thinking about her again. After some more futile resistance, Aoshi finally gave up and let himself fall into his confusion. Half of him wanted to smack himself upside the head while the other half just felt like how he was feeling right now. Lost.

What's wrong with me? he thought. Usually, meditating isn't a hard thing for me to do.

He was thinking too much again. Aoshi sighed and was about to lie down and sleep until a soft knock came at the door.

"Ne, aniki?" Ikumi asked. "Can I come in?"

Aniki. Ha, he wasn't used to being called that by her. Maybe twelve years of absensce changed her way of calling him "oniichan".

"Aa."

The door slid open again. Ikumi closed it quickly behind her. Instead of Chinese clothing, she was wearing a simple, light blue kimono. She shifted a bit, and Aoshi could tel that his sister wasn't used to it. Inwardly, he smiled.

"Daijoubu?" she asked.

"Aa, although it's a bit hard to..." Something had caught his eye.

That something was a little girl hiding behind his sister. She only stood to Ikumi's knee with a tossle of midnight hair tied into pigtails and one curious emerald eyes peering out. He raised an eyebrow, and she disappeared with one hand still clinging onto the kimono.

Ikumi noticed her brother's perspective curiosity and looked down at her daughter. "Ne, Set-chan, doushta no? Don't you want to say hi to your uncle?"

"U-uncle??" Aoshi repeated the word, a bit too shocked to say anything else.

Timidly, Set-chan stepped ou, rocking back and forth like one who doesn't like to stay put. Her hands her behind her back, but her large green eyes were looking straight into Aoshi's own. He couldn't believe his eyes.

"Masaka..."

"Ohayou, Aoshi-nii," Set-chan said politely, still remaining in her spot.

Something about Set-chan reminded Aoshi about Misao and Ikumi when they were still children. Maybe it was the complete innocence that she displayed which became an innocent terror inside. Or maybe it was the hesitance she showed towards him. Only looking around two, Set-chan was a miniature version of Ikumi with the exception of large green eyes. That was when things started to click in.

"Ikumi, she's you..." Aoshi began.

"Daughter?" his sister finished, eyes beaming. She let out a light laugh, patting her daughter on the head. "Hai. This is Shinomori Setsuko, your little niece. I wanted to tell you before, demo, those ninja came in."

For once, Aoshi fell into utter jaw-dropping, eye-bulging, shock.

<Later...>

Misao was finally awake and sitting up, though she wasn't strong enough to stand and walk around just yet. She finished the rest of her soup, relenquishin in the aftertaste it had. Yet...that was all she could eat. No matter how hard she tried, she didn't have an appetite.

"Misao-chan, you're not going to get any better the way you are right now," Jun said lightly.

Misao couldn't help but giggle. Ever since meeting Jun three days ago, Misao couldn't help but liking the young woman. Jun was exactly the same age as Misao, if not a few months older, and a fantastic doctor. Sure, she wasn't like Megumi whose family was totally absorbed with Western medicine, but she was close.

"I guess you're right," Misao agreed, taking a bite of the fried tofu. "...Is Aoshi-sama alright?"

Jun smiled. "He's awake. And Set-chan's meeting him right now."

Misao returned the smile. Not only because Aoshi was okay, but also because of Ikumi's young daughter, Setsuko. When Ikumi had returned to get help, the entire house of the Oniwanbanshuu practically fell. If Hannya and the others were there, they would probably do the same thing. No, it wasn't because of Jun's arrival; it was because of the tiny girl that Ikumi was carrying.

Setsuko reminded Misao of herself when she was little except for the fact that Setsuko was extremely shy like her mother.

"Yokatta na..." she murmured then remembered something about Setsuko that bothered her. "Ne, Jun?"

"Hmm? Nani?"

"How did...how did Ikumi...I mean, you know..." God, it was so embarassing to even say the WORD.

"How did Ikumi-neesan become pregnant with Setsuko?" Jun finished. She sat back a bit, a melachaly expression casting over her eyes. "Maa....it's a long story."

AYAME-CHAN SAYS: *dun dun dun* How will this go?? Is Ikumi going to explain it all? Find out in the next chapter!! ^_^